APPLETON 


University  of  California  •  Berkeley 

DONALD  SIDNEY-FRYER 
COLLECTION 


STRAIGHT  AT  THE  TOWER  RUSHED  THE  RED  CI^OUD,  AND 

IT  A   GLANCING   BIvOW, 

Page 

torn  Swift  and  His  Airship 


TOM    SWIFT    AND 
HIS    AIRSHIP 


BY 
VICTOR  APPLETON 

OF  "TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR-CYCLE,"  "TOM  SWIFT  AND 
MOTOR  BOAT,"  "TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  SUBMARINE  BOAT,"  ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW  YORK 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP 

PUBLISHERS 

Made  in  the  United  State*  of  America 


BOOKS  BY  VICTOR  APPLETON 
THE  TOM  SWIFT  SERIES 


TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR-CYCLE 

Or  Fun  and  Adventure  on  the  Road 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR-BOAT 

Or  the  Rivals  of  Lake,  ^arlopa 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  H£5  AIRSHIP 

Or  the  Stirring  Cruise  of  the  Red  Cloud 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  SUBMARINE  BOAT 

Or  Under  the  Ocean  for  Sunken  Treasure 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RUNABOUT 

Or  the  Speediest  Car  on  the  Road 

(Other  Volumes  in  preparation) 

tamo.    Cloth.    Illustrated 

Postpaid 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP 
PUBLISHERS  NEW  YORK 


COPYRIGHT,  1910,  BY 
GROSSET  &  DUNLAP 

Tom  Swift  and  His  Airship 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I    AN  EXPLOSION i 

II    NED  SEES  MYSTERIOUS  MEN 12 

III  WHITEWASHED 24 

IV  A  TRIAL  TRIP 36 

V    COLLIDING  WITH  A  TOWER 48 

VI    GETTING  OFF  THE  ROOF 56 

VII    ANDY  TRIES  A  TRICK 66 

VIII    WINNING  A  PRIZE 75 

IX    THE  RUNAWAY  AUTO 86 

X    A  BAG  OF  TOOLS 94 

XI    THE  "RED  CLOUD"  DEPARTS 103 

XII    SOME  STARTLING  NEWS in 

Kill    MR.  DAMON  IN  DANGER 117 

XIV    ANDY  GIVES  THE  CLUE 124 

XV    FIRED  UPON 134 

XVI    OVER  A  FIERY  FURNACE 141 

XVII    "WANTED— FOR  ROBBERY  !" 150 

XVIII    BACK  FOR  VINDICATION * 160 

ill 


Iv  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XIX    WRECKED  168 

XX    TOM  GETS  A  CLUE 177 

XXI    ON  THE  TRAIL x86 

XXII    THE  SHERIFF  ON  BOARD 291 

XXIII  ON  TO  THE  CAMP „ 197 

XXIV  THE  RAID 201 

XXV    ANDY  GETS  His  REWARD 209 


TOM    SWIFT    AND    HIS 
AIRSHIP 


CHAPTER  I 

AN  EXPLOSION 

"ARE  you  all  ready,  Tom?" 

"All  ready,  Mr.  Sharp,"  replied  a  young  man, 
who  was  stationed  near  some  complicated  appara- 
tus, while  the  questioner,  a  dark  man,  with  a  ner* 
vous  manner,  leaned  over  a  large  tank. 

"I'm  going  to  turn  on  the  gas  now,"  went  on 
the  man.  "Look  out  for  yourself.  I'm  not  sure 
what  may  happen." 

"Neither  am  I,  but  I'm  ready  for  it  If  it  does 
explode  it  can't  do  much  damage." 

"Oh,  I  hope  it  doesn't  explode.  We've  had  so 
much  trouble  with  the  airship,  I  trust  nothing 
goes  wrong  now." 

"Well,  turn  on  the  gas,  Mr.  Sharp,"  advised 
Tom  Swift  "I'll  watch  the  pressure  gauge,  andg 

i 


2  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

if  it  goes  too  high,  I'll  warn  you,  and  you  can  shut 
it  off." 

The  man  nodded,  and,  with  a  small  wrench  in 
his  hand,  went  to  one  end  of  the  tank.  The  youth, 
looking  anxiously  at  him,  turned  his  gaze  now  and 
then  toward  a  gauge,  somewhat  like  those  on 
steam  boilers,  which  gauge  was  attached  to  an  alu- 
minum, cigar-chaped  affair,  about  five  feet  long. 

Presently  there  was  a  hissing  sound  in  the 
small  frame  building  where  the  two  were  conduct- 
ing an  experiment  which  meant  much  to  them. 
The  hissing  grew  louder. 

"Be  ready  to  jump,"  advised  Mr.  Sharp. 

"I  will,"  answered  the  lad.  "But  the  pressure 
is  going  up  very  slowly.  Maybe  you'd  better  turn 
on  more  gas." 

"I  will.  Here  she  goes !  Look  out  now.  You 
can't  tell  what  is  going  to  happen." 

With  a  sudden  hiss,  as  the  powerful  gas,  under 
pressure,  passed  from  the  tank,  through  the  pipes, 
and  into  the  aluminum  container,  the  hand  on  the 
gauge  swept  past  figure  after  figure  on  the  dial. 
,  "Shut  it  off !"  cried  Tom  quickly.  "It's  coming 
too  fast!  Shut  her  off!" 

The  man  sprang  to  obey  the  command,  and, 
with  nervous  fingers,  sought  to  fit  the  wrench 
Over  the  nipple  of  the  controlling  valve.  Then 
bis  face  seemed  to  turn  white  with  fean 


AN  EXPLOSION  3 

"I  can't  move  it!"  Mr.  Sharp  yelled.  "It's 
jammed !  I  can't  shut  off  the  gas !  Run !  Look 
out!  She'll  explode!" 

Tom  Swift,  the  young  inventor,  whose  ac- 
quaintance some  of  you  have  previously  made, 
gave  one  look  at  the  gauge,  and  seeing  that  the 
pressure  was  steadily  mounting,  endeavored  to 
reach,  and  open,  a  stop-cock,  that  he  might  re- 
lieve the  strain.  One  trial  showed  him  that  the 
valve  there  had  jammed  too,  and  catching  up  a 
roll  of  blue  prints  the  lad  made  a  dash  for  the 
door  of  the  shop.  He  was  not  a  second  behind 
his  companion,  and  hardly  had  they  passed  out  of 
the  structure  before  there  was  a  loud  explosion 
which  shook  the  building,  and  shattered  all  the 
windows  in  it. 

Pieces  of  wood,  bits  of  metal,  and  a  cloud  of 
sawdust  and  shavings  flew  out  of  the  door  after 
the  man  and  the  youth,  and  this  was  followed 
by  a  cloud  of  yellowish  smoke. 

"Are  you  hurt,  Tom?"  cried  Mr.  Sharp,  as  he 
swung  around  to  look  back  at  the  place  where 
the  hazardous  experiment  had  been  conducted. 

"Not  a  bit!    How  about  you?" 

"I'm  all  right.  But  it  was  touch  and  go !  Good 
thing  you  had  the  gauge  on,  or  we'd  never  have 
known  when  to  run.  Well,  we've  made  another 


4  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

failure  of  it,"  and  the  man  spoke  somewhat  bit- 
terly. 

"Never  mind,  Mr.  Sharp,"  went  on  Tom  Swift, 
"I  think  it  will  be  the  last  mistake.  I  see  what 
the  trouble  is  now;  and  know  how  to  remedy  it 
Come  on  back,  and  we'll  try  it  again;  that  is  if 
the  tank  hasn't  blown  up." 

"No,  I  guess  that's  all  right.  It  was  the  alu- 
minum container  that  went  up,  and  that's  so  light 
it  didn't  do  much  damage.  But  we'd  better  wait 
until  some  of  those  fumes  escape.  They're  not 
healthy  to  breathe." 

The  cloud  of  yellowish  smoke  was  slowly  roll- 
ing away,  and  the  man  and  lad  were  approaching 
the  shop,  which,  in  spite  of  the  explosion  that  had 
taken  place  in  it,  was  still  intact,  when  an  aged 
man,  coming  from  a  handsome  house  not  far  off, 
called  out: 

"Tom,  is  anyone  hurt?" 

"No,  dad.    We're  all  right." 

"What  happened?" 

"Well,  we  had  another  explosion.  We  can't 
Seem  to  get  the  right  mixture  of  the  gas,  but  I 
think  we've  had  the  last  of  our  bad  luck.  We're 
going  to  try  it  again.  Up  to  now  the  gas  has  been 
too  strong,  the  tank  too  weak,  or  else  our  valve 
control  is  bad." 

"Oh  dear,,  Mr.  Swift!    Do  tell  them  to  be  care- 


AN  EXPLOSION  g 

ful!"  a  woman's  voice  chimed  in.  "I'm  sure 
something  dreadful  will  happen!  This  is  about 
the  tenth  time  something  has  blown  up  around 
here,  and " 

"It's  only  the  ninth,  Mrs.  Baggert,"  interrupted 
Tom,  somewhat  indignantly. 

"Well,  goodness  me !  Isn't  nine  almost  as  bad 
as  ten  ?  There  I  was,  just  putting  my  bread  in  the 
oven,"  went  on  Mrs.  Baggert,  the  housekeeper, 
"and  I  was  so  startled  that  I  dropped  it,  and  now 
uie  dough  is  all  over  the  kitchen  floor.  I  never 
saw  such  a  muss." 

"I'm  sorry,"  answered  the  youth,  trying  not  to 
laugh.  "We'll  see  that  it  doesn't  happen  again." 

"Yes ;  that's  what  you  always  say,"  rejoined  the 
motherly-looking  woman,  who  looked  after  the 
interests  of  Mr.  Swift's  home. 

"Well,  we  mean  it  this  time,"  retorted  the  lad. 
"We  see  where  our  mistake  was ;  don't  we.  Mr. 
Sharp?" 

"I  think  so,"  replied  the  other  seriously. 

"Come  on  back,  and  we'll  see  what  damage  was 
done,"  proposed  Tom.  "Maybe  we  can  rig  up  an- 
other container,  mix  some  fresh  gas,  and  make  the 
final  experiment  this  afternoon." 

"Now  do  be  careful,"  cautioned  Mr.  Swift,  the 
aged  inventor,  once  more.  "I'm  afraid  you  two 
have  set  too  hard  a  task  for  yourselves  this  time." 


6  TOM  SWIFT  'AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

"No  we  haven't,  dad,"  answered  his  son* 
"You'll  see  us  yet  skimming  along  above  th€ 
clouds." 

"Humph !  If  you  go  above  the  clouds  I  shan't 
be  very  likely  to  see  you.  But  go  slowly,  now. 
Don't  blow  the  place  up  again." 

Mr.  Swift  went  into  the  house,  followed  by 
Mrs.  Baggert,  who  was  loudly  bewailing  the  fate 
of  her  bread.  Tom  and  Mr.  Sharp  started  to- 
ward the  shop  where  they  had  been  working.  It 
was  one  of  several  buildings,  built  for  experi- 
mental purposes  and  patent  work  by  Mr.  Swift, 
near  his  home. 

"It  didn't  do  so  very  much  damage,"  observed 
Tom,  as  he  peered  in  through  a  window,  void  of 
all  the  panes  of  glass.  "We  can  start  right  in." 

"Hold  on!  Wait!  Don't  try  it  now!"  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Sharp,  who  talked  in  short,  snappy 
sentences,  which,  however,  said  all  he  meant.  "The 
fumes  of  that  gas  aren't  good  to  breathe.  Wait 
until  they  have  blown  away.  It  won't  be  long. 
It's  safer." 

He  began  to  cough,  choking  from  the  pungent 
odor,  and  Tom  felt  an  unpleasant  tickling  sen* 
sation  in  his  throat. 

"Take  a  walk  around,"  advised  Mr.  Sharp.  "I'll 
be  looking  over  the  blue  prints.  Let's  have  'em." 

Tom  handed  over  the  roll  he  had  grabbed  ug 


AN  EXPLOSION  7 

when  he  ran  from  the  shop,  just  before  the  ex- 
plosion took  place,  and,  while  his  companion 
spread  them  out  on  his  knee,  as  he  sat  on  an  up- 
turned barrel,  the  lad  walked  toward  the  rear  of 
the  large  yard.  It  was  enclosed  by  a  high  board 
fence,  with  a  locked  gate,  but  Tom,  undoing  the 
fastenings,  stepped  out  into  a  broad,  green  mea- 
dow at  the  rear  of  his  father's  property.  As  he 
did  so  he  saw  three  boys  running  toward  him. 

"Hello!"  exclaimed  our  hero.  "There  are  Andy 
Foger,  Sam  Snedecker  and  Pete  Bailey.  I  won- 
der what  they're  heading  this  way  for?" 

On  the  trio  came,  increasing  their  pace  as  they 
caught  sight  of  Tom.  Andy  Foger,  a  red-haired 
and  squint-eyed  lad,  a  sort  of  town  bully,  with  a 
rich  and  indulgent  father,  was  the  first  to  reach 
the  young  inventor. 

"How — how  many  are  killed  ?"  panted  Andy. 

"Shall  we  go  for  doctors?"  asked  Sam. 

"Can  we  see  the  place?"  blurted  out  Pete,  and 
he  had  to  sit  down  on  the  grass,  he  was  so  winded. 

"Killed?  Doctors?"  repeated  Tom,  clearly 
much  puzzled.  "What  are  you  fellows  driving  at, 
anyhow  ?" 

"Wasn't  there  a  lot  of  people  killed  in  the  ex- 
plosion we  heard?"  demanded  A.nd>v  in  eager 
tones. 

"Not  a  one,"  replied  Tom. 


8  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

"There  was  an  explosion!"  exclaimed  Pete* 
"We  heard  it,  and  you  can't  fool  us!" 

"And  we  saw  the  smoke,"  added  Snedecker. 

"Yes,  there  was  a  small  explosion,"  admitted 
Tom,  with  a  smile,  "but  no  one  was  killed;  or 
even  hurt.  We  don't  have  such  things  happen  in 
our  shops." 

"Nobody  killed?"  repeated  Andy  questioning- 
ly,  and  the  disappointment  was  evident  in  his 
tones. 

"Nobody  hurt?"  added  Sam,  his  crony,  and 
he,  too,  showed  his  chagrin. 

"All  our  run  for  nothing,"  continued  Pete,  an- 
other crony,  in  disgust. 

"What  happened?"  demanded  the  red-haired 
lad,  as  if  he  had  a  right  to  know.  "We  were 
walking  along  the  lake  road,  and  we  heard  an 
awful  racket.  If  the  police  come  out  here,  you'll 
have  to  tell  what  it  was,  Tom  Swift."  He  spoke 
defiantly. 

"I've  no  objection  to  telling  you  or  the  po- 
lice," replied  Tom.  "There  was  an  explosion.  My 
friend,  Mr.  Sharp,  the  balloonist,  and  I  were  con- 
ducting an  experiment  with  a  new  kind  of  gas, 
and  it  was  too  strong,  that's  all.  An  aluminum 
container  blew  up,  but  no  particular  damage  was 
done.  I  hope  you're  satisfied." 

"Humph!    What  you  making,  anyhow?"  de- 


'AN  EXPLOSION  g 

manded  Andy,  and  again  he  spoke  as  if  he  had 
a  right  to  know. 

"I  don't  know  that  it's  any  of  your  business," 
Tom  came  back  at  him  sharply,  "but,  as  every- 
one will  soon  know,  I  may  as  well  tell  you.  We're 
building  an  airship." 

"An  airship?"  exclaimed  Sam  and  Pete  in  one 
breath. 

"An  airship?"  queried  Andy,  and  there  was  a 
sneer  in  his  voice.  "Well,  I  don't  think  you  can 
do  it,  Tom  Swift!  You'll  never  build  an  airship; 
even  if  you  have  a  balloonist  to  help  you I" 

"I  won't,  eh?"  and  Tom  was  a  trifle  nettled  at 
the  sneering  manner  of  his  rival. 

"No,  you  won't!  It  takes  a  smarter  fellow 
than  you  are  to  build  an  airship  that  will  sail.  I 
believe  I  could  beat  you  at  it  myself." 

"Oh,  you  think  you  could?"  asked  Tom,  and 
this  time  he  had  mastered  his  emotions.  He  was 
not  going  to  let  Andy  Foger  make  him  angry. 
"Maybe  you  can  beat  me  at  racing,  too?"  he  went 
on.  "If  you  think  so,  bring  out  your  Red  Streak 
and  I'll  try  the  Arrow  against  her.  I  beat  you 
twice,  and  I  can  do  it  again !" 

This  unexpected  taunt  disconcerted  Andy.  It 
was  the  truth,  for,  more  than  once  had  Tom,  in 
his  motor-boat,  proved  more  than  a  match  for  the 
squint-eyed  bully  and  his  cronies. 


10  TOM  SWIFT  'AND  'HIS  'AIRSHIP 

"Go  back  at  him,  Andy,"  advised  Sam,  in 
low  voice.     "Don't  take  any  of  his  guff!" 

"I  don't  intend  to,"  spluttered  Andy.  "Maybe 
you  did  beat  me  in  the  races,  because  my  motor 
wasn't  working  right,"  he  conceded,  "but  you 
can't  do  it  again.  Anyhow,  that's  got  nothing  to 
do  with  an  airship.  I'll  bet  you  can't  make  one !" 

"I  don't  bet,"  replied  Tom  calmly,  "but  if 
you  wait  a  few  weeks  you'll  see  me  in  an  airship, 
and  then,  if  you  want  to  race  the  Red  Streak 
against  that,  I'll  accommodate  you.  Or,  if  you 
want  to  enter  into  a  competition  to  build  a  dirig- 
ible balloon  or  an  aeroplane  I'm  willing." 

"Huh!  Think  you're  smart,  don't  you?  Just 
because  you  helped  save  that  balloonist  from  be- 
ing killed  when  his  balloon  caught  fire,"  went  on 
Andy,  for  want  of  something  better  to  say.  "But 
you'll  never  build  an  airship!"- 

"Of  course  he  won't!"  added  Sam  and  Pete, 
bound  to  side  with  their  crony,  to  whom  they  were 
indebted  for  many  automobile  and  motor-boat 
rides. 

"Just  wait,"  advised  Tom,  with  a  tantalizing 
smile.  "Meanwhile,  if  you  want  to  try  the  Red 
Streak  against  the  Arrow,  I'm  willing.  I  have  an 
(hour  or  so  to  spare." 

"Aw,  keep  still!"  muttered  Andy,  much  dis- 
comfited, for  the  defeat  of  his  speedy  boat,  by  a 


AN  EXPLOSION  II 

much  smaller  and  less  powerful  one,  was  a  sore 
point  with  him.  "You  just  wait,  that's  all.  I'll 
get  even  with  you !" 

"Look  here!"  cried  Tom,  suddenly.  "You  al- 
ways say  that  whenever  I  get  the  best  of  you. 
I'm  sick  of  hearing  it.  I  consider  that  a  threat, 
and  I  don't  like  it.  If  you  don't  look  out,  Andy 
Foger,  you'll  have  trouble  with  me,  and  at  no  very 
'distant  date !" 

Tom,  with  flashing  eyes,  and  clenched  fists,  took 
a  step  forward.  Andy  shrank  back. 

"Don't  be  afraid  of  him,"  advised  Sam.  "We'll 
Itand  by  you,  Andy." 

"I  ain't  afraid,"  muttered  the  red-haired  lad, 
lut  it  was  noticed  that  he  shuffled  off.  "  You  just 
Wait,  I'll  fix  you,"  he  added  to  Tom.  The  bully 
Was  plainly  in  a  rage. 

The  young  inventor  was  about  to  reply,  and, 
possibly  would  have  made  a  more  substantial  re- 
joinder to  Andy  than  mere  words,  when  the  gate 
opened,  and  Mr.  Sharp  stepped  out. 

"The  fumes  have  all  cleared  away,  Tom,"  he 
said.  "We  can  go  in  the  shop,  now." 

Without  further  notice  of  Andy  Foger,  Tom 
Swift  turned  aside,  and  followed  the  aeronaut 
&ito  the  enclosed  yard. 


CHAPTER  II 

NED  SEES  MYSTERIOUS  MEN 

"WHO  were  those  fellows  ?"  asked  the  balloon^ 
ist,  of  his  companion. 

"Oh,  some  chaps  who  think  we'll  never  build 
our  airship,  Mr.  Sharp.  Andy  Foger,  and  his 
crowd." 

"Well,  we'll  show  them  whether  we  will  or 
not,"  rejoined  the  man.  "I've  just  thought  of  one 
point  where  we  made  a  mistake.  Your  father 
suggested  it  to  me.  We  need  a  needle  valve  in 
the  gas  tank.  Then  we  can  control  the  flow  of 
vapor  better." 

"Of  course !"  cried  Tom.  "Why  didn't  I  think 
of  that  ?  Let's  try  it."  And  the  pair  hurried  into 
the  machine  shop,  eager  to  make  another  test, 
which  they  hoped  would  be  more  successful. 

The  young  inventor,  for  Tom  Swift  was  en- 
titled to  that  title,  having  patented  several  ma- 
chines, lived  with  his  father,  Barton  Swift,  on 
the  outskirts  of  the  small  town  of  Shopton,  in 

12 


NED  SEES  MYSTERIOUS  MEN  13 

New  York  State.  Mr.  Swift  was  quite  wealthy, 
having  amassed  a  considerable  fortune  from  sev- 
eral of  his  patents,  as  he  was  also  an  inventor. 
Tom's  mother  had  been  dead  since  he  was  a  small 
child,  and  Mrs.  Baggert  kept  house  for  the  widow- 
er and  his  son.  There  was  also,  in  their  house- 
hold, an  aged  engineer,  named  Garret  Jackson, 
who  attended  to  the  engine  and  boilers  that  oper- 
ated machinery  and  apparatus  in  several  small 
shops  that  surrounded  the  Swift  homestead;  for 
Mr.  Swift  did  most  of  his  work  at  home. 

As  related  in  the  first  volume  of  this  series,  en- 
titled 'Tom  Swift  and  His  Motor-Cycle,"  the 
lad  had  passed  through  some  strenuous  adven- 
tures. A  syndicate  of  rich  men,  disappointed  in 
a  turbine  motor  they  had  acquired  from  a  cer- 
tain inventor,  hired  a  gang  of  scoundrels  to  get 
possession  of  a  turbine  Mr.  Swift  had  invented. 
Just  before  they  made  the  attempt,  however,  Tom 
became  possessed  of  a  motor-cycle.  It  had  be- 
longed to  a  wealthy  man,  Mr.  Wakefield  Damon, 
of  Waterford,  near  Lake  Carlopa,  which  body  of 
water  adjoined  the  town  of  Shopton;  but  Mr. 
Damon  had  two  accidents  with  the  machine,  and 
sold  it  to  Tom  cheap.  Tom  was  riding  his  motor- 
cycle to  Albany,  to  deliver  his  father's  model  of 
the  turbine  motor  to  a  lawyer,  in  order  to  get  a 
patent  on  it,  when  he  was  attacked  by  the  gang 


14  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

of  bad  men.  These  included  Ferguson  Appleson, 
Anson  Morse,  Wilson  Featherton,  alias  Simp- 
son, Jake  Burke,  alias  Happy  Harry,  who  some- 
times masqueraded  as  a  tramp,  and  Tod  Boreck, 
alias  Murdock.  These  men  knocked  Tom  uncon- 
scious, stole  the  valuable  model  and  some  papers, 
and  carried  the  youth  away  in  their  automobile. 

Later  the  young  inventor,  following  a  clue 
given  him  by  Eradicate  Sampson,  an  aged  colored 
man,  who,  with  his  mule,  Boomerang,  went  about 
the  country  doing  odd  jobs,  got  on  the  trail  of 
the  thieves  in  a  deserted  mansion  in  the  woods  at 
the  upper  end  of  the  lake.  Our  hero,  with  the 
aid  of  Mr.  Damon,  and  some  friends  of  the  lat- 
ter, raided  the  old  house,  but  the  men  escaped. 

In  the  second  book  of  the  series,  called  "Tom 
Swift  and  His  Motor-Boat,"  there  was  related  the 
doings  of  the  lad,  his  father  and  his  chum,  Ned 
Newton,  on  Lake  Carlopa.  Tom  bought  at  auc- 
tion, a  motor-boat  the  thieves  had  stolen  and  dam- 
aged, and,  fixing  it  up,  made  a  speedy  craft  of  it— 
so  speedy,  in  fact  that  it  beat  the  racing-boat— 
Red  Streak — owned  by  Andy  Foger.  But  Tom 
did  more  than  race  in  his  boat.  He  took  his 
father  on  a  tour  for  his  health,  and,  during  Mr. 
Swift's  absence  from  home,  the  gang  of  bad  men 
stole  some  of  the  inventor's  machinery.  Tom  set 
*>ut  after  them  in  his  motor  boat,  but  the  scoun- 


NED  SEES  MYSTERIOUS  MEN  15 

drels  even  managed  to  steal  that,  hoping  to  get 
possession  of  a  peculiar  and  mysterious  treasure 
in  it,  and  Tom  had  considerable  trouble. 

Among  other  things  he  did  when  he  haft  his 
craft,  was  to  aid  a  Miss  Mary  Nestor,  who,  in 
her  cousin's  small  boat,  the  Dot,  was  having  trou- 
ble with  the  engine,  and  you  shall  hear  more  of 
Miss  Nestor  presently,  for  she  and  Tx)m  became 
quite  friendly.  Events  so  shaped  themselves  that 
Andy  Foger  was  glad  to  loan  Tom  the  Red  Streak 
in  which  to  search  for  the  stolen  Arrow,  and  it 
was  in  the  later  craft  that  Tom,  his  father  and 
Ned  Newton  had  a  most  thrilling  adventure. 

They  were  on  their  way  down  the  lake  when, 
in  the  air  overhead  they  saw  a  balloon  on  fire, 
with  a  man  clinging  to  the  trapeze.  They  man- 
aged to  save  the  fellow's  life,  after  a  strenuous 
endeavor.  The  balloonist,  John  Sharp,  was  des- 
tined to  play  quite  a  part  in  Tom's  life. 

Mr.  Sharp  was  more  than  an  aeronaut— he  was 
the  inventor  of  an  airship — that  is,  he  had  plans 
drawn  for  the  more  important  parts,  but  he  had 
struck  a  "snag  of  clouds/'  as  he  expressed  it,  and 
could  not  make  the  machine  work.  His  falling  in 
witb  Mr.  Swift  and  his  son  seemed  providential, 
for  Tom  and  his  father  were  at  once  interested  in 
the  project  for  navigating  the  upper  air.  They 
began  a  study  of  Mr.  Sharp's  plans,  and  the  bal- 


16  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

loonist  was  now  in  a  fair  way  to  have  the  diffi- 
culty solved. 

His  airship  was,  primarily  an  aeroplane,  but 
with  a  sustaining  aluminum  container,  shaped  like 
a  cigar,  and  filled  with  a  secret  gas,  made  partly 
of  hydrogen,  being  very  light  and  powerful.  It 
was  testing  the  effect  of  this  gas  on  a  small  model 
of  the  aluminum  container  that  the  explosion, 
told  of  in  the  first  chapter,  occurred.  In  fact  it 
was  only  one  of  several  explosions,  but,  as  Tom 
said,  all  the  while  they  were  eliminating  certain 
difficulties,  until  now  the  airship  seemed  almost 
a  finished  thing.  But  a  few  more  details  re- 
mained to  be  worked  out,  and  Mr.  Swift  and  his 
son  felt  that  they  could  master  these. 

So  it  was  with  a  feeling  of  no  little  elation, 
that  the  young  inventor  followed  Mr.  Sharp  into 
the  shop.  The  balloonist,  it  may  be  explained,  had 
been  invited  to  live  with  the  Swifts  pending  the 
completion  of  the  airship. 

"Do  you  think  we'll  get  on  the  right  track  if  we 
put  the  needle  valve  in  ?"  asked  Tom,  as  he  noted 
with  satisfaction  that  the  damage  from  the  ex- 
plosion was  not  great. 

"I'm  sure  we  will,"  answered  the  aeronaut. 
"Now  let's  make  another  model  container,  and  try 
the  gas  again." 

They  set  to  work,  with  Mr.  Swift  helping  them 


NED  SEES  MYSTERIOUS  MEN  17 

occasionally,  and  Garret  Jackson,  the  engineer, 
lending  a  hand  Whenever  he  was  needed.  All  that 
afternoon  work  on  the  airship  progressed.  The 
joint  inventors  of  it  wanted  to  be  sure  that  the 
sustaining  gas  bag,  or  aluminum  container,  would 
do  its  work  properly,  as  this  would  hold  them  in 
the  air,  and  prevent  accidents,  in  case  of  a  stop- 
page of  the  engine  or  propellers. 

The  aeroplane  part  of  the  airship  was  all  but 
finished,  and  the  motor,  a  powerful  machine,  of 
new  design,  built  by  Mr.  Swift,  was  ready  to  b* 
installed. 

All  that  afternoon  Tom,  his  father  and  Mr. 
Sharp  labored  in  the  shop.  As  it  grew  dusk 
there  sounded  from  the  house  the  ringing  of  a 
bell. 

"Supper  time/'  remarked  Tom,  laying  aside  a 
wrench.  "I  wish  Mrs.  Baggert  would  wait  about 
an  hour.  I'd  have  this  valve  nearly  done,  then." 

But  the  housekeeper  was  evidently  not  going 
to  wait,  for  her  voice  supplemented  the  bell. 

"Supper !  Sup-per !"  she  called.  "Come  now, 
Mr.  Swift;  Tom,  Mr.  Sharp!  I  can't  wait  any 
longer !  The  meat  and  potatoes  will  be  spoiled !" 

"I  s'pose  we'd  better  go  in,"  remarked  Mr. 
Sharp,  with  something  of  a  sigh.  "We  can  finish 
to-morrow." 

The  shop,  where  certain  parts  of  the  airshig 


18  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

were  being  made,  was  doubly  locked,  and 
son,  the  engineer,  who  was  also  a  sort  of  watch- 
man, was  bidden  to  keep  good  guard,  for  the  fear 
of  the  gang  of  unscrupulous  men,  who  had  es- 
caped from  jail  during  a  great  storm,  was  stili  in 
the  minds  of  Mr.  Swift  and  his  son. 

"And  give  an  occasional  look  in  the  shed,  where 
the  aeroplane  is,"  advised  Mr.  Sharp.  "It  wouldn't 
take  much  to  damage  that,  now." 

"I'll  pay  particular  attention  to  it,"  promised 
the  engineer.  "Don't  worry,  Mr.  Sharp." 

After  supper  the  three  gathered  around  the 
table  on  which  were  spread  out  sheets  of  paper, 
covered  with  intricate  figures  and  calculations, 
which  Mr.  Swift  and  the  balloonist  went  over 
with  care.  Tom  was  examining  some  blue  prints, 
which  gave  a  sectional  view  of  the  proposed  ship, 
and  was  making  some  measurements  when  the 
bell  rang,  and  Mrs.  Baggert  ushered  in  Ned  New- 
ton, the  most  particular  chum  of  the  young  in- 
ventor. 

"Hello,  Ned!"  exclaimed  Tom.  "I  was  won- 
dering what  had  become  of  you.  Haven't  seen 
you  in  a  dog's  age." 

*  "That's  right,"  admitted  Ned.  "We've  been 
working  late  nights  at  the  bank.  Getting  ready 
for  the  regular  visit  of  the  examiner,  who  usual- 
ly comes  along  about  this  time.  Well,  how  are 


NEH  SEES  MYSTERIOUS  MEN  19 

things  going;  and  how  is  the  airship ?"  for,  of 
course,  Ned  had  heard  of  that 

"Oh,  pretty  good.  Had  another  explosion  to- 
day, I  s'pose  you  heard." 

"No,  I  hadn't" 

"I  thought  everyone  in  town  had,  for  Andy 
Foger  and  his  two  cronies  were  on  hand,  and 
they  usually  tell  all  they  know." 

"Oh,  Andy  Foger!  He  makes  me  sick!  He 
was  scooting  up  the  street  in  his  auto  just  as  I 
was  coming  in,  'honking-honking'  his  horn  to  beat 
the  band !  You'd  think  no  one  ever  had  an  auto 
but  him.  He  certainly  was  going  fast" 

"Wait  until  I  get  in  our  airship,"  predicted 
Tom.  "Then  I'll  show  you  what  speed  is!" 

"Do  you  really  think  it  will  go  fast?" 

"Of  course  it  will !  Fast  enough  to  catch  Anson 
Morse  and  his  crowd  of  scoundrels  if  we  could  get 
on  their  track." 

"Why,  I  thought  they  were  in  jail,"  replied 
Ned,  in  some  surprise.  "Weren't  they  arrested 
after  they  stole  your  boat?" 

"Yes,  and  put  in  jail,  but  they  managed  to  get 
out,  and  now  they're  free  to  make  trouble  for  us 
again." 

"Are  you  sure  they're  out  of  jail  ?"  asked  Ned, 
and  Tom  noted  that  his  chum's  face  wore  an  odd 
look. 


20  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

"Sure?  Of  course  I  am.  But  why  do  you 
ask?" 

Ned  did  not  answer  for  a  moment.  He  glanced 
at  Tom's  father,  and  the  young  inventor  under* 
stood.  Mr.  Swift  was  getting  rather  along  in 
age,  and  his  long  years  of  brain  work  had  made 
him  nervous.  He  had  a  great  fear  of  Morse  and 
his  gang,  for  they  had  made  much  trouble  for  him 
in  the  past.  Tom  appreciated  his  chum's  hesitancy, 
and  guessed  that  Ned  had  something  to  say  that 
he  did  not  want  Mr.  Swift  to  hear. 

"Come  en  up  to  my  room,  Ned.  I've  got  some- 
thing I  want  to  show  you,"  exclaimed  Tom,  after 
a  pause. 

The  two  lads  left  the  room,  Tom  glancing 
apprehensively  at  his  father.  But  Mr.  Swift  was 
so  engrossed,  together  with  the  aeronaut,  in  mak- 
ing some  calculations  regarding  wind  pressure, 
that  it  is  doubtful  if  either  of  the  men  were  aware 
that  the  boys  had  gone. 

"Now  what  is  it,  Ned?"  demanded  our  hero, 
when  they  were  safe  in  his  apartment.  "Some- 
thing's up.  I  can  tell  by  your  manner.  What 
is  it?" 

"Maybe  it's  nothing  at  all,"  went  on  his  chum. 
"If  I  had  known,  though  that  those  men  had  got- 
ten out  of  jail,  I  would  have  paid  more  attention 


NED  SEES  MYSTERIOUS   MEN  21 

to  what  I  saw  to-night,  as  I  was  leaving  the  bank 
to  come  here." 

"What  did  you  see?"  demanded  Tom,  and  his 
manner,  which  had  been  calm,  became  somewhat 
excited. 

"Well,  you  know  I've  been  helping  the  paying- 
teller  straighten  up  his  books,"  went  on  the 
young  bank  employee,  "and  when  I  came  out  to- 
night, after  working  for  several  hours,  I  was 
glad  enough  to  hurry  away  from  the  'slave-den/ 
as  I  call  it.  I  almost  ran  \ip  the  street,  not  looking 
where  I  was  going,  when,  just  as  I  turned  the 
Corner,  I  bumped  into  a  man." 

"Nothing  suspicious  or  wonderful  in  that," 
commented  Tom.  "I've  often  run  into  people." 

"Wait,"  advised  Ned.  "To  save  myself  from 
falling  I  grabbed  the  man's  arm.  He  did  the  same 
to  me,  and  there  we  stood,  for  a  moment,  right 
under  a  gas  lamp.  I  looked  down  at  his  hands, 
and  I  saw  that  on  the  little  finger  of  the  left  one 
there  was  tattooed  a  blue  ring,  and " 

"Happy  Harry — the  tramp!"  exclaimed  Tom, 
now  much  excited.  "That's  where  he  wears  a  tat- 
tooed ring!" 

"That's  what  I  thought  you  had  told  me," 
resumed  Ned,  "but  I  didn't  pay  any  attention  to 
it  at  the  time,  as  I  had  no  idea  that  the  men  were 
out  of  jail" 


22  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

"Well,  what  else  happened?"  inquired  Tom. 

"Not  much  more.  I  apologized  to  the  man, 
and  he  to  me,  and  we  let  go  of  each  other." 

"Are  you  sure  about  the  ring  on  his  finger  ?n 

"Positive.  His  hand  was  right  in  the  light.  But 
wait,  that  isn't  all.  I  hurried  on,  not  thinking 
much  about  it,  when,  I  saw  another  man  step 
out  of  the  dark  shadows  of  Peterby's  grocery, 
just  beyond  the  bank.  The  man  must  have  mis* 
taken  me  for  some  one  else,  for  he  spoke  to  me." 

"What  did  he  say?" 

"He  asked  me  a  question.  It  was :  'Is  there 
any  chance  to-night  ?'r 

"What  did  you  tell  him?" 

"Well,  I  was  so  surprised  that  I  didn't  know 
what  to  say,  and,  before  I  could  get  my  wits 
together  the  man  had  seen  his  mistake  and  hur- 
ried on.  He  joined  the  man  I  had  collided  with, 
and  the  two  skipped  off  in  the  darkness.  But 
not  before  a  third  man  had  come  across  the  street, 
from  in  front  of  the  bank,  and  hurried  off  with 
them." 

"Well?"  asked  Tom,  as  his  chum  paused. 

"I  don't  know  what  to  think,"  resumed  Ned. 
"These  men  were  certainly  acting  suspiciously, 
and,  now  that  you  tell  me  the  Anson  Morse  gang 
is  -not  locked  up — well,  it  makes  me  feel  that  these 
men  must  be  some  of  their  crowd." 


NED  SEES  MYSTERIOUS  MEN  2$ 

"Of  course  they  are!"  declared  Tom  positively. 
"That  blue  ring  proves  it!" 

"I  wouldn't  go  so  far  as  to  say  that,"  declared 
Ned.  "The  man  certainly  had  a  blue  ring  tattooed 
on  his  finger — the  same  finger  where  you  say 
Happy  Harry  had  his.  But  what  would  the  men 
be  doing  in  this  neighborhood?  They  certainly 
have  had  a  lesson  not  to  meddle  with  any  of  your 
things." 

"No,  I  don't  believe  they  are  after  any  of  dad's 
inventions  this  time.  But  I  tell  you  what  I  do  be- 
lieve." 

"What?" 

"Those  men  are  planning  to  rob  the  Shopton 
Bank,  Ned!  And  I  advise  you  to  notify  the  of- 
ficers. That  Morse  gang  is  one  of  the  worst  in 
the  country,"  and  Tom,  much  excited,  began  to 
pace  the  room,  while  Ned,  who  had  not  dreamed 
of  such  an  outcome  to  his  narrative,  looked 
startled. 


CHAPTER  III 

WHITEWASHED 

"LET'S  tell  your  father,  Tom,"  suggested  Ned, 
after  a  pause.  "He'll  know  what  to  do." 

"No,  I'd  rather  not,"  answered  the  young  in- 
ventor quickly.  "Dad  has  had  trouble  enough 
with  these  fellows,  and  I  don't  want  him  to  worry 
any  more.  Besides,  he  is  working  on  a  new  inven- 
tion, and  if  I  tell  him  about  the  Happy  Harry 
gang  it  will  take  his  attention  from  it" 

"What  invention  is  he  planning  now?" 

"I  don't  know,  but  it's  something  important  by 
the  way  he  keeps  at  it.  He  hardly  spares  time  to 
help  Mr.  Sharp  and  me  on  the  airship.  No,  we'll 
keep  this  news  from  dad." 

"Then  I'll  inform  the  bank  officials,  as  you 
suggest.  If  the  place  was  robbed  they  might 
blame  me,  if  they  found  cut  I  had  seen  the  men 
and  failed  to  tell  them." 

"Well,  that  gang  would  only  be  too  glad  to 
have  the  blame  fall  on  some  one  else." 

24 


WHITEWASHED  25 

Tom  little  knew  how  near  the  truth  he  had 
come  in  his  chance  expression,  or  how  soon  he 
himself  was  to  fall  under  suspicion  in  connection 
with  this  same  band  of  bad  men. 

"I'll  telephone  to  the  president  on  my  way 
home,"  decided  Ned,  "and  he  can  notify  the 
watchman  at  the  bank.  But  do  you  really  ex- 
pect to  have  your  airship  in  shape  to  fly  soon?" 

"Oh,  yes.  Now  that  we  have  found  out  our 
mistake  about  the  gas,  the  rest  will  be  easy," 

"I  think  I'd  like  to  take  a  trip  in  one  myself 
if  it  didn't  go  too  high,"  ventured  Ned. 

"I'll  remember  that,  when  we  have  ours  com* 
pleted,"  promised  his  chum,  "and  I'll  take  you  for 
a  spin." 

The  boys  talked  for  perhaps  an  hour  longer, 
mostly  about  the  airship,  for  it  was  the  latest  me- 
chanical affair  in  which  Tom  was  interested,  and, 
naturally,  foremost  in  his  thoughts.  Then  Ned 
went  home  first,  however,  telephoning  from  Tom's 
house  to  the  bank  president  about  having  seen  the 
suspicious  men.  That  official  thanked  his  young 
employee,  and  said  he  would  take  all  necessary 
precautions.  The  telephone  message  was  not  sent 
until  Mr.  Swift  was  out  of  hearing,  as  Tom  was 
determined  that  his  father  should  have  no  un- 
necessary worry  about  the  unscrupulous  men.  As 


26  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

it  was,  the  news  that  the  gang  was  out  of  jail 
had  caused  the  aged  inventor  some  alarm. 

It  was  not  without  some  anxiety  that  Tom 
arose  the  next  morning,  fearing  he  would  hear 
news  that  the  bank  had  been  broken  into,  but  no 
such  alarming  report  circulated  in  Shopton.  In 
fact  having  made  some  inquiries  that  day  of  Ned, 
he  learned  that  no  trace  had  been  seen  of  the 
mysterious  men.  The  police  had  been  on  the  look- 
out, but  they  had  seen  nothing  of  them. 

"Maybe,  after  all,  they  weren't  the  same  ones," 
suggested  Ned,  when  he  paid  Tom  another  visit 
the  next  night. 

"Well,  of  course  it's  possible  that  they  weren't/* 
admitted  the  young  inventor.  "I'd  be  very  glad 
to  think  so.  Even  if  they  were,  your  encounter 
with  them  may  have  scared  them  off;  and  that 
would  be  a  good  thing." 

The  next  two  weeks  were  busy  ones  for  Tom 
and  Mr.  Sharp.  Aided  occasionally  by  Mr.  Swift, 
and  with  Garret  Jackson,  the  engineer,  to  lend 
a  hand  whenever  needed,  the  aeronaut  and  the 
owner  of  the  speedy  Arrow  made  considerable 
progress  on  their  airship. 

"What  is  your  father  so  busy  over  ?"  asked  Mr, 
Sharp  one  day,  when  the  new  aluminum  gas 
holder  was  about  completed. 

"I  don't  know,"  answered  Tom,  with  a  some- 


WHITEWASHED  2j 

what  puzzled  air.  "He  doesn't  seem  to  want  to 
talk  about  it,  even  to  me.  He  says  it  will  revolu- 
tionize travel  along  a  certain  line,  but  whether 
he  is  working  on  an  airship  that  will  rival  ours, 
or  a  new  automobile,  I  can't  make  out.  He'll  tell 
us  in  good  time.  But  when  do  you  think  we  will 
finish  the — well,  I  don't  know  what  to  call  it — • 
I  mean  our  aeroplane?" 

"Oh,  in  about  a  month  now.  That's  so,  though, 
we  haven't  a  name  for  it.  But  we'll  christen  it 
after  it's  completed.  Now  if  you'll  tighten  up 
some  of  those  bolts  I'll  get  the  gas  generating  ap- 
paratus in  readiness  for  another  test." 

A  short  description  of  the  new  airship  may  not 
be  out  of  place  now.  It  was  built  after  plans  Mr. 
Sharp  had  shown  to  Tom  and  his  father  soon 
after  the  thrilling  rescue  of  the  aeronaut  from  the 
blazing  balloon  over  Lake  Carlopa.  The  general 
idea  of  the  airship  was  that  of  the  familiar  aero- 
plane, but  in  addition  to  the  sustaining  surfaces  of 
the  planes,  there  was  an  aluminum,  cigar-shaped 
tank,  holding  a  new  and  very  powerful  gas,  which 
would  serve  to  keep  the  ship  afloat  even  when  not 
?n  motion. 

Two  sets  of  planes,  one  above  the  other,  were 
used,  bringing  the  airship  into  the  biplane  class. 
There  were  also  two  large  propellers,  one  in 
front  and  the  other  at  the  rear.  These 


28  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

were  carefully  made,  of  different  layers  of 
wood  "built  up"  as  they  are  called,  to  make 
them  stronger.  They  were  eight  feet  in  diameter, 
and  driven  by  a  twenty-cylinder,  air-cooled,  mo- 
tor, whirled  around  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  hundred 
revolutions  a  minute.  When  operated  at  full 
speed  the  airship  was  capable  of  making  eighty 
miles  an  hour,  against  a  moderate  wind. 

But  if  the  use  of  the  peculiarly-shaped 
planes  and  the  gas  container,  with  the 
secret  but  powerful  vapor  in  it  were  some- 
thing new  in  airship  construction,  so  was 
the  car  in  which  the  operator  and  travelers  were 
to  live  during  a  voyage.  It  was  a  complete 
living  room,  with  the  engine  and  other  apparatus, 
including  that  for  generating  the  gas,  in  a  separ- 
ate compartment,  and  the  whole  was  the  combined 
work  of  Tom  and  Mr.  Sharp.  There  were  ac- 
commodations for  five  persons,  with  sleeping 
berths,  a  small  galley  or  kitchen,  where  food  could 
be  prepared,  and  several  easy  chairs  where  the 
travelers  could  rest  in  comfort  while  skimming 
along  high  in  the  air,  as  fast  as  the  fastest  railroad 
train. 

There  was  room  enough  to  carry  stores  for  a 
voyage  of  a  week  or  more,  and  enough  gas  could 
be  manufactured  aboard  the  ship,  in  addition  to 
that  taken  in  the  aluminum  case  before  starting, 


WHITEWASHED  29 

to  sustain  the  ship  for  two  weeks.  The  engine, 
steering  apparatus,  and  the  gas  machine  were 
within  easy  reach  and  control  of  the  pilot,  who 
was  to  be  stationed  in  a  small  room  in  the  "bow" 
of  the  ship.  An  electric  stove  served  to  warm 
the  interior  of  the  car,  and  also  provided  means 
for  cooking  the  food. 

The  airship  could  be  launched  either  by  starting 
it  along  the  ground,  on  rubber-tired  wheels,  as  is 
done  in  the  case  of  the  ordinary  aeroplane,  or  it 
could  be  lifted  by  the  gas,  just  as  is  done  with  a 
balloon.  In  short  there  were  many  novel  fea- 
tures about  the  ship. 

The  gas  test,  which  took  place  a  few  days  later, 
showed  that  the  young  inventor  and  Mr.  Sharp 
had  made  no  mistake  this  time.  No  explosion 
followed,  the  needle  valve  controlling  the  power- 
ful vapor  perfectly. 

"Well,"  remarked  Mr.  Sharp,  one  afternoon, 
"I  think  we  shall  put  the  ship  together  next 
week.  Tom,  and  have  a  trial  flight.  We  shall  need 
a  few  more  aluminum  bolts,  though,  and  if  you 
don't  mind  you  might  jump  on  your  motor-cycle 
and  run  to  Mansburg  for  them.  Merton's  ma- 
chine shop  ought  to  have  some." 

Mansburg  was  the  nearest  large  city  to  Shop- 
ton,  and  Merton  was  a  machimst  who  frequently 
did  work  for  Mr. 


30  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

"All  right,"  agreed  Tom.  'Til  start  now.  How 
many  will  you  need?" 

"Oh,  a  couple  of  dozen." 

Tom  started  off,  wheeling  his  cycle  from  the 
shed  where  it  was  kept.  As  he  passed  the  building 
where  the  big  frame  of  the  airship,  with  the 
planes  and  aluminum  bag  had  been  assembled, 
he  looked  in. 

"We'll  soon  be  flying  through  the  clouds  on 
your  back,"  he  remarked,  speaking  to  the  ap- 
paratus as  if  it  could  understand.  "I  guess  we'll 
smash  some  records,  too,  if  that  engine  works 
as  well  when  it's  installed  as  it  does  now." 

Tom  had  purchased  the  bolts,  and  was  on  his 
way  back  with  them,  when,  as  he  passed  through 
one  of  the  outlying  streets  of  Mansburg,  some- 
thing went  wrong  with  his  motor-cycle.  He  got 
off  to  adjust  it,  finding  that  it  was  only  a  trifling 
matter,  which  he  soon  put  right,  when  he  was 
aware  of  a  man  standing,  observing  him.  With- 
out looking  up  at  the  man's  face,  the  young  in- 
ventor wac  unpleasantly  aware  of  a  sharp  scru- 
tiny. He  could  hardly  explain  it,  but  it  seemed  as 
if  the  man  had  evil  intentions  toward  him,  and 
it  was  not  altogether  unexpected  on  Tom's  part, 
when,  looking  up,  he  saw  staring  at  him,  Anson 
Morse,  the  leader  of  the  gang  of  men  who  had 
caused  such  trouble  for  him. 


WHITEWASHED  31 

"Oh,  it's  you;  is  it?"  asked  Morse,  an  ugly 
scowl  on  his  face.  "I  thought  I  recognized  you." 
He  moved  nearer  to  Tom,  who  straightened  up, 
and  stood  leaning  on  his  wheel. 

"Yes;  it's  me,"  admitted  the  lad. 

"I've  been  looking  for  you,"  went  on  Morse. 
"I'm  not  done  with  you  yet,  nor  your  father, 
either." 

"Aren't  you?"  asked  Tom,  trying  to  speak 
coolly,  though  his  heart  was  beating  rather  faster 
than  usual.  Morse  had  spoken  in  a  threatening 
manner,  and,  as  the  youth  looked  up  and  down 
the  street  he  saw  that  it  was  deserted ;  nor  were 
there  any  houses  near. 

"No,  I'm  not,"  'snapped  the  man.  "You  got 
me  and  my  friends  in  a  lot  of  trouble,  and " 

"You  didn't  get  half  what  you  deserved!" 
burst  out  Tom,  indignant  at  the  thought  of  what 
he  and  his  father  had  suffered  at  the  hands  of  the 
gang.  "You  ought  to  be  in  jail  now,  instead  of 
out;  and  if  I  could  see  a  policeman,  I'd  have  you 
arrested  for  threatening  me !  That's  against  the 
law!" 

"Huh !  I  s'pose  you  think  you  know  lots  about 
the  law,"  sneered  Morse.  "Well,  I  tell  you  one 
thing;  if  you  make  any  further  trouble  for  me, 
I'll " 

"I'll  make  all  the  trouble  I  can!"  cried  Tom, 


32  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

and  he  boldly  faced  the  angry  man.  "I'm  not 
afraid  of  you!" 

"You'd  better  be!"  and  Morse  spoke  in  a  vin- 
dictive manner.  "We'll  get  even  with  you  yet, 
Tom  Swift.  In  fact  I've  a  good  notion  now  to 
give  you  a  good  thrashing  for  what  you've  done." 

Before  Tom  was  aware  of  the  man's  intention, 
Morse  had  stepped  quickly  into  the  street,  where 
the  lad  stood  beside  his  wheel,  and  grasped  him 
by  the  shoulder.  He  gave  Tom  a  vicious  shake. 

"Take  your  hand  off  me !"  cried  Tom,  who  was 
hampered  by  having  to  hold  up  his  heavy  ma- 
chine. 

"I  will  when  I've  given  you  what  I  owe  you !" 
retorted  the  scoundrel.  "I'm  going  to  have  sat- 
isfaction now  if  I  never " 

At  that  instant  there  came  from  down  the  street 
the  sound  of  a  rattling  and  bumping.  Tom  looked 
up  quickly,  and  saw  approaching  a  rattletrap  of 
a  wagon,  drawn  by  a  big,  loose-jointed  mule,  the 
large  ears  of  which  were  flapping  to  and  fro.  The 
animal  was  advancing  rapidly,  in  response  to 
blows  and  words  from  the  colored  driver,  and, 
before  the  uplifted  fist  of  Morse  could  fall  on 
Tom's  head,  the  outfit  was  opposite  them. 

"Hold  on  dar,  mistah!  Hold  on!"  cried  the 
colored  man  in  the  wagon.  "What  are  yo'  doin' 
to  mah  friend,  Mistah  Swift?" 


WHITEWASHED  33 

"None  of  your  business !"  snapped  Morse.  "You 
drive  on  and  let  me  manage  this  affair  if  you 
don't  want  trouble !  Who  are  you  anyhow  ?" 

"Why  doan't  yo'  know  me  ?"  asked  the  colored 
man,  at  whom  Tom  looked  gratefully.  "I's  Era- 
dicate Sampson,  an'  dish  yeah  am  mah  mule, 
Boomerang.  Whoa,  Boomerang!  I  reckon  yo' 
an*  I  better  take  a  hand  in  dish  yeah  argument." 

"Not  unless  you  want  trouble !"  cried  Morse. 

"I  doan't  mind  trouble,  not  in  de  leastest,"  an- 
swered Eradicate  cheerfully.  "Me  an'  Boomerang 
has  had  lots  of  trouble.  We's  used  to  it.  No, 
Mistah  Man,  you'd  better  let  go  ob  mah  friend, 
Mistah  Swift,  if  yo'  doan't  want  trouble  yo* 
ownse'f." 

"Drive  on,  and  mind  your  business!"  cried 
Morse,  now  unreasoningly  angry.  "This  is  my 
affair,"  and  he  gave  Tom  a  shake. 

Our  hero  was  not  going  to  submit  tamely, 
however.  He  had  one  hand  free,  and  raised  to 
strike  Morse,  but  the  latter,  letting  go  his  hold  on 
the  lad's  shoulder,  grasped  with  that  hand,  the 
fist  which  the  young  inventor  had  raised.  Then, 
with  his  other  hand,  the  scoundrel  was  about  to 
hit  Tom. 

"Break  away  fom  him,  Mistah  Swift !"  directed 
the  colored  man.  " Yo'  can  fight  him,  den !" 


34  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

"I  guess  he'll  have  his  own  troubles  doing  that," 
sneered  Morse. 

"Not  ef  I  help  him,"  answered  Eradicate 
promptly,  as  he  climbed  back  off  the  seat,  into  the 
body  of  his  ramshackle  vehicle. 

"Don't  you  interfere  with  me!"  stormed  the 
man. 

An  instant  later  Tom  broke  away  from  his  tor- 
mentor, and  laid  his  motor-cycle  on  the  ground, 
in  order  to  have  both  hands  free  for  the  attack 
he  felt  would  follow. 

"Ha!  You  think  you're  going  to  escape,  do 
you?"  cried  Morse,  as  he  started  toward  Tom, 
his  eyes  blazing.  "I'll  show  you  who  you're  deal- 
ing with!" 

"Yes,  an'  I  reckon  I'll  show  yo'  suffin  yo'  ain't 
lookin'  fer!"  suddenly  cried  Eradicate. 

With  a  quick  motion  he  picked  up  a  pail  of 
white-wash  from  his  wagon,  and,  with  sure  aim, 
emptied  the  contents  of  the  bucket  over  Morse, 
who  was  rushing  at  Tom.  The  white  fluid  spread 
over  the  man  from  head  to  foot,  enveloping  him 
as  in  a  white  shroud,  and  his  advance  was  in- 
stantly checked. 

"Dar !  I  reckon  dat's  de  quickest  white-washm' 
job  I  done  in  some  time!"  chuckled  Eradicate, 
as  he  grasped  his  long  handled  brush,  and  clamb- 


WHITEWASHED  35 

ered  down  from  the  wagon,  ready  for  a  renewal 
of  the  hostilities  on  the  part  of  Morse.  "De 
bestest  white-washin'  job  I  done  in  some  time; 
yais,  sah!" 


CHAPTER  IV. 

A  TRIAL  TRIP 

THERE  was  no  fear  that  Anson  Morse  would 
return  to  the  attack.  Blinded  by  the  whitewash 
which  ran  in  his  eyes,  but  which,  being  slaked, 
did  not  burn  him,  he  grouped  blindly  about,  paw- 
ing the  air  with  his  outstretched  hands. 

"You  wait!  You  wait!  You'll  suffer  for  this !" 
he  spluttered,  as  soon  as  he  could  free  his  mouth 
from  the  trickling  fluid.  Then,  wiping  it  from 
his  face,  with  his  hands,  as  best  he  could,  he  shook 
his  fist  at  Tom.  "I'll  pay  you  and  that  black 
rascal  back !"  he  cried.  "You  wait !" 

"I  hopes  yo'  pays  me  soon,"  answered  Eradi- 
cate, t(  'case  as  how  dat  whitewash  was  wuff 
twenty-five  cents,  an'  I  got  t'  go  git  mo'  to  finish 
doin'  a  chicken  coop  I'm  wurkin'  on.  Whoa,  dar 
Boomerang.  Dere  ain't  goin'  t'  be  no  mo'  trou- 
ble I  reckon." 

Morse  did  not  reply.     He  had  been  most  un- 
expectedly repulsed,   and,   with  the  whitewash 
36 


'A   TRIAL   TRIP  37 

dripping  from  his  garments,  he  turned  and  fair- 
ly ran  toward  a  strip  of  woodland  that  bordered 
the  highway  at  that  place. 

Tom  approached  the  colored  man,  and  held  out 
a  welcoming  hand. 

"I  don't  know  what  I'd  done  if  you  hadn't 
come  along,  Rad,"  the  lad  said.  "That  fellow 
was  desperate,  and  this  was  a  lonely  spot  to  be 
attacked.  Your  whitewash  came  in  mighty 
handy." 

"Yais,  sah,  Mistah  Swift,  dat's  what  it  done. 
I  knowed  I  could  use  it  on  him,  ef  he  got  too 
obstreperous,  an'  dat's  what  he  done.  But  I  were 
goin'  to  fight  him  wif  mah  bresh,  ef  he'd  made  any 
more  trouble." 

"Oh,  I  fancy  we  have  seen  the  last  of  him  for 
some  time,"  said  Tom,  but  he  looked  worried. 
It  was  evident  that  the  Happy  Harry  gang  was 
still  hanging  around  the  neighborhood  of  Shop- 
ton,  and  the  fact  that  Morse  was  bold  enough  to 
attack  our  hero  in  broad  day-light  argued  that 
he  felt  little  fear  of  the  authorities. 

"Ef  yo'  wants  t'  catch  him,  Mistah  Swift," 
went  on  Eradicate,  "yo'  kin  trace  him  by  de  white- 
wash what  drops  often  him,"  and  he  pointed  to 
a  trail  of  white  drops  which  showed  the  path 
Morse  had  taken. 

"No,  the  less  I  have  to  do  with  him  the  better 


38  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

I  like  it,"  answered  the  lad.  "But  I  can't  thank 
you  enough,  Rad.  You  have  helped  me  out  of 
difficulties  several  times  now.  You  put  me  on  the 
trail  of  the  men  in  the  deserted  mansion,  you 
warned  me  of  the  log  Andy  Foger  placed  across 
the  road,  and  now  you  have  saved  me  from 
Morse/' 

"Oh,  dat's  nuffin,  Mistah  Swift.  Yo'  has  suah 
done  lots  fo'  me.  'Sides,  mah  mule,  Boomerang, 
am  entitled  t'  de  most  credit  dish  yeah  time.  I 
were  comin'  down  de  street,  on  mah  way  t'  a 
whitewashin'  job,  when  I  seen  yo',  an  yo'  lickity- 
split  machine,"  for  so  Eradicate  designated  a  mo- 
tor-cycle. "I  knowed  it  were  yo',  an'  I  didn't 
laik  de  looks  ob  dat  man.  Den  I  see  he  had  hold 
ob  you,  an'  I  t'ought  he  were  a  burglar.  So  I 
yelled  t'  Boomerang  t'  hurry  up.  Now,  mostly, 
when  I  wants  Boomerang  t'  hurry,  he  goes  slow, 
an*  when  I  wants  him  t'  go  slow,  he  runs  away. 
But  dish  yeah  time  he  knowed  he  were  comin' 
t'  help  yo',  an'  he  certainly  did  leg  it,  dat's  what 
he  done!  He  run  laik  he  were  goin'  home  t'  a 
stable  full  ob  oats,  an'  dat's  how  I  got  heah  so 
quick.  Den  I  t'ought  ob  de  whitewash,  an'  I  jest 
used  it." 

"It  was  the  most  effective  weapon  you  could 
have  used,"  said  Tom,  gratefully. 

"Deed  no,  Mistah  Swift,  I  didn't  hab  no  weap- 


A   TRIAL  TRIP  39 

on,"  spoke  Eradicate  earnestly.  "I  ain't  eben  got 
mah  razor,  'case  I  left  it  home.  I  didn't  hab  no 
weapon  at  all.  I  jest  used  de  whitewash,  laik  yo' 


seen  me." 


"That's  what  I  meant,"  answered  Tom,  trying 
not  to  laugh  at  the  simple  negro's  misunderstand- 
ing. "I'm  ever  so  much  obliged  to  you,  just  the 
same,  and  here's  a  half  dollar  to  pay  for  the  white- 
wash." 

"Oh,  no,  Mistah  Swift,  I  doan't  want  t'  take 
it.  I  kin  make  mo'  whitewash." 

But  Tom  insisted,  and  picked  up  his  machine 
to  sprint  for  home.  Eradicate  started  to  tell  over 
again,  how  he  urged  Boomerang  on,  but  the  lad 
had  no  time  to  listen. 

"But  I  didn't  hab  no  weapon,  Mistah  Swift, 
no  indeedy,  none  at  all,  not  even  mah  razor,"  re- 
peated Eradicate.  "Only  de  pail  ob  whitewash. 
That  is,  lessen  yo'  calls  mah  bresh  a  weapon." 

"Well,  it's  a  sort  of  one,"  admitted  Tom,  with 
a  laugh  as  he  started  his  machine.  "Come  around 
next  week,  Rad.  We  have  some  dirt  eradicating 
for  you  to  attend  to." 

"Deed  an'  I  will,  Mistah  Swift.  Eradicate  is 
mah  name,  an'  I  eradicates  de  dirt.  But  dat  man 
suah  did  look  odd,  wif  dat  pail  ob  whitewash  all 
ober  him.  He  suah  did  look  most  extraordinarily. 


40  TOM  SWIFT  'AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

Gidap,  Boomerang.  See  if  yo'  can  break  some 
mo'  speed  records  now." 

But  the  mule  appeared  to  be  satisfied  with  what 
he  had  done,  and,  as  he  rode  off,  Tom  looked  back 
to  see  the  colored  man  laboring  to  get  the  sleepy 
animal  started. 

The  lad  did  not  tell  his  father  of  the  adventure 
with  Morse,  but  he  related  the  occurrence  to  Mr. 
Sharp. 

"I'd  like  to  get  hold  of  that  scoundrel,  and 
the  others  in  the  gang!"  exclaimed  the  balloon- 
ist. "I'd  take  him  up  in  the  airship,  and  drop 
him  down  into  the  lake.  He's  a  bad  man.  So 
are  the  others.  Wonder  what  they  want  around 
here?" 

"That's  what's  puzzling  me,"  admitted  Tom.  "I 
hope  dad  doesn't  hear  about  them  or  he  will  be 
sure  to  worry;  and  maybe  it  will  interfere  with 
his  new  ideas." 

"He  hasn't  told  you  yet  what  he's  engaged  in 
inventing;  has  he?" 

"No,  and  I  don't  like  to  ask  him.  He  said  the 
£>ther  day,  though,  that  it  would  rival  our  air- 
ship, but  in  a  different  way." 

"I  wonder  what  he  meant?" 

"It's  hard  to  say.  But  I  don't  believe  he  can 
invent  anything  that  will  go  ahead  of  our  craft, 
even  if  he  is  my  own  father,  and  the  best  one 


A   TRIAL   TRIP  41 

in  the  world,"  said  Tom,  half  jokingly.  "Well, 
I  got  the  bolts,  now  let's  get  to  work.  I'm 
anxious  for  a  trial  trip." 

"No  more  than  I  am.  I  want  to  see  if  my 
ideas  will  work  out  in  practice  as  well  as  they 
do  in  theory." 

For  a  week  or  more  Tom  and  Mr.  Sharp  la- 
bored on  the  airship,  with  Mr.  Jackson  to  help 
them.  The  motor,  with  its  twenty  cylinders,  was 
installed,  and  the  big  aluminum  holder  fastened 
to  the  feme  of  the  planes.  The  rudders,  one 
to  control  the  elevation  and  depression  of  the 
craft,  and  the  other  to  direct  its  flight  to  the  right 
or  left,  were  attached,  and  the  steering  wheel, 
as  well  as  the  levers  regulating  the  motor  were 
put  in  place. 

"About  all  that  remains  to  be  done  now,"  said 
the  aeronaut  one  night,  as  he  and  Tom  stood  in 
the  big  shed,  looking  at  their  creation,  "is  to 
fit  up  the  car,  and  paint  the  machine." 

"Can't  we  make  a  trial  trip  before  we  fit  up 
the  car  ready  for  a  long  flight  ?"  asked  the  young 
inventor. 

"Yes,  but  I  wouldn't  like  to  go  out  without 
painting  the  ship.  Some  parts  of  it  might  rust 
if  we  get  into  the  moist,  cloudy,  upper  regions." 

"Then  let's  paint  it  to-morrow,  and,  as  soon 
as  it's  dry  we'll  have  a  test." 


42  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

"All  right.  I'll  mix  the  paint  the  first  thing 
in  the  morning." 

It  took  two  days  to  paint  the  machine,  for 
much  care  had  to  be  used,  and,  when  it  was  fin- 
ished Tom  looked  admiringly  up  at  it. 

"We  ought  to  name  it,"  suggested  Mr.  Sharp, 
as  he  removed  a  bit  of  paint  from  the  end  of  the 
nose. 

'To  be  sure,"  agreed  Tom.  "And— hold  on, 
I  have  the  very  name  for  it — Red  Cloud!" 

"Red  Cloud?"  questioned  Mr.  Sharp. 

"Yes !"  exclaimed  Tom,  with  enthusiasm.  "It's 
painted  red — at  least  the  big,  aluminum  gas  con- 
tainer is — and  we  hope  to  go  above  the  clouds 
in  it.  Why  not  Red  Cloud?" 

"That's  what  it  shall  be!"  conceded  the  bal- 
loonist. "If  I  had  a  bottle  of  malted  milk,  or 
something  like  that,  I'd  christen  it." 

"We  ought  to  have  a  young  lady  to  do  that 
part,"  suggested  Tom.  "They  always  have  young 
ladies  to  name  ships." 

"Were  you  thinking  of  any  particular  young 
lady?"  asked  Mr.  Sharp  softly,  and  Tom  blushed 
as  he  replied: 

"Oh  no — of  course  that  is — well — Oh,  hang  it, 
christen  it  yourself,  and  let  me  alone,"  he  finished. 

"Well,  in  the  absence  of  Miss  Mary  Nestor, 
who,  I  think,  would  be  the  best  one  for  the  cere- 


A   TRIAL  TRIP  43 

moriy,"  said  Mr.  Sharp,  with  a  twinkle  in  his 
eyes,  "I  christen  thee  Red  Cloud"  and  with  that 
he  sprinkled  some  water  on  the  pointed  nose  of 
the  red  aluminum  gas  bag,  for  the  aeronaut  and 
Tom  were  on  a  high  staging,  on  a  level  with  the 
upper  part  of  the  airship. 

"Red  Cloud  it  is !"  cried  Tom,  enthusiastically. 
"Now,  to-morrow  we'll  see  what  it  can  do." 

The  day  of  the  test  proved  all  that  could  be 
desired  in  the  way  of  weather.  The  fact  that  an 
airship  was  being  constructed  in  the  Swift  shops 
had  been  kept  as  secret  as  possible,  but  of  course 
many  in  Shopton  knew  of  it,  for  Andy  Foger  had 
spread  the  tidings. 

"I  hope  we  won't  have  a  crowd  around  to  see 
us  go  up,"  said  Tom,  as  he  and  Mr.  Sharp  went 
to  the  shed  to  get  the  Red  Cloud  in  readiness 
for  the  trial.  "I  shouldn't  want  to  have  them 
laugh  at  us,  if  we  fail  to  rise." 

"Don't  worry.  We'll  go  up  all  right,"  de- 
clared Mr.  Sharp.  "The  only  thing  I'm  at  all 
worried  about  is  our  speed.  I  want  to  go  fast,  but 
we  may  not  be  able  to  until  our  motor  gets 
'tuned-up.'  But  we'll  rise." 

The  gas  machine  had  already  been  started,  and 
the  vapor  was  hissing  inside  the  big  aluminum 
holder.  It  was  decided  to  try  to  go  up  under 
the  lifting  power  of  th£  gas,  and  not  use  the  aero- 


44  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

plane  feature  for  sending  aloft  the  ship,  as  there 
was  hardly  room,  around  the  shops,  for  a  good 
start. 

When  enough  of  the  vapor  had  been  generated 
to  make  the  airship  buoyant,  the  big  doors  of  the 
shed  were  opened,  and  Tom  and  Mr.  Sharp,  with 
the  aid  of  Garret  and  Mr.  Swift,  shoved  it  slowly 
out. 

"There  it  is !  There  she  comes !"  cried  several 
voices  outside  the  high  fence  that  surrounded  the 
Swift  property.  "They're  going  up !" 

"Andy  Foger  is  in  that  bunch,"  remarked  Tom 
with  a  grim  smile.  "I  hope  we  don't  fail." 

"We  won't.    Don't  worry,"  advised  Mr.  Sharp. 

The  shouts  outside  the  fence  increased.  It  was 
evident  that  quite  a  crowd  of  boys,  as  well  as 
men,  had  collected,  though  it  was  early  in  the 
morning.  Somehow,  news  of  the  test  had  leaked 
out. 

The  ship  continued  to  get  lighter  and  lighter 
as  more  gas  was  generated.  It  was  held  down 
by  ropes,  fastened  to  stakes  driven  in  the  ground. 
Mr.  Sharp  entered  the  big  car  that  was  suspended 
below  the  aeroplanes. 

"Come  on,  Tom,"  the  aeronaut  called.  "We're 
almost  ready  to  fly.  Will  you  come  too,  Mr. 
Swift,  and  Garret?" 

"Some  other  time,"  promised  the  aged  inven- 


A   TRIAL  TRIP  45 

tor.  "It  looks  as  though  you  were  going  to  suc- 
ceed, though.  I'll  wait,  however,  until  after  the 
test  before  I  venture." 

"How  about  you,  Garret?"  asked  Tom  of  the 
engineer,  as  the  young  inventor  climbed  into  the 
car. 

"The  ground  is  good  enough  for  me,"  was 
the  answer,  with  a  smile.  "Broken  bones  don't 
mend  so  easily  when  you're  past  sixty-five." 

"But  we're  not  going  to  fall!"  declared  Mr. 
Sharp.  "All  ready,  Tom.  Cast  off!  Here  we 
go!" 

The  restraining  ropes  were  quickly  cast  aside. 
Slowly  at  first,  and  then  with  a  rush,  as  though 
feeling  more  and  more  sure  of  herself,  the  Red 
Cloud  arose  in  the  air  like  a  gigantic  bird  of 
scarlet  plumage.  Up  and  up  it  went,  higher  than 
the  house,  higher  than  the  big  shed  where  it  had 
been  built,  higher,  higher,  higher! 

"There  she  is!"  cried  the  shrill  voices  of  the 
boys  in  the  meadow,  and  the  hoarser  tones  of  the 
men  mingled  with  them. 

"Hurrah !"  called  Tom  softly  to  the  balloonist. 
"We're  off !"  and  he  waved  his  hand  to  his  father 
and  Garret. 

"I  told  you  so,"  spoke  Mr.  Sharp  confidently. 
"I'm  going  to  start  the  propellers  in  a  minute." 

"Oh,  dear  me,  goodness  sakes  alive!"  cried 


46  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

Mrs.  Baggert,  the  housekeeper,  running  from  the 
house  and  wringing  her  hands.  "I'm  sure  they'll 
fall!" 

She  looked  up  apprehensively,  but  Tom  only 
waved  his  hand  to  her,  and  threw  her  a  kiss. 
Clearly  he  had  no  fears,  though  it  was  the  first 
time  he  had  ever  been  in  an  airship.  Mr.  Sharp 
was  as  calm  and  collected  as  an  ocean  captain 
making  his  hundredth  trip  across  the  Atlantic. 

"Throw  on  the  main  switch,"  he  called  to  our 
hero,  and  Tom,  moving  to  amidships  in  the  car, 
did  as  directed.  Mr.  Sharp  pulled  several  levers, 
adjusted  some  valves,  and  then,  with  a  rattle  and 
bang,  the  huge,  twenty-cylinder  motor  started. 

Waiting  a  moment  to  see  that  it  was  running 
smoothly,  Mr.  Sharp  grasped  the  steering  wheel. 
Then,  with  a  quick  motion  he  threw  the  two  pro- 
pellers in  gear.  They  began  to  whirl  around 
rapidly. 

"Here  we  go!"  cried  Tom,  and,  sure  enough, 
the  Red  Cloud,  now  five  hundred  feet  in  the  air, 
shot  forward,  like  a  boat  on  the  water,  only  with 
such  a  smooth,  gliding,  easy  motion,  that  it  seemed 
like  being  borne  along  on  a  cloud. 

"She  works!  She  works  1"  cried  the  balloon- 
ist. "Now  to  try  our  elevation  rudder,"  and, 
as  the  Red  Cloud  gathered  speed,  he  tilted  the 
small  planes  which  sent  the  craft  up  or  down,  ac- 


A    TRIAL   TRIP  47 

cording  to  the  manner  in  which  they  were  tilted. 
The  next  instant  the  airship  was  pointed  at  an 
angle  toward  the  clouds,  and  shooting  along  at 
swift  speed,  while,  from  below  came  the  admiring 
cheers  of  the  crowd  of  boys  and  men. 


CHAPTER  V 

COLLIDING  WITH  A  TOWER 

"SHE  seems  to  work,"  observed  Tom,  looking 
from  where  he  was  stationed  near  some  electrical 
switches,  toward  Mr.  Sharp. 

"Of  course  she  does,"  replied  the  aeronaut.  "I 
knew  it  would,  but  I  wasn't  so  sure  that  it  would 
scoot  along  in  this  fashion.  We're  making  pretty 
good  speed,  but  we'll  do  better  when  the  motor 
gets  to  running  smoother." 

"How  high  up  are  we?"  asked  Tom. 

The  balloonist  glanced  at  several  gauges  near 
the  steering  wheel. 

"A  little  short  of  three  thousand  feet,"  he  an- 
swered. "Do  you  want  to  go  higher?" 

"No — no — I — I  guess  not,"  was  Tom's  answer. 
He  halted  over  the  works,  and  his  breath  came  in 
gasps. 

"Don't  get  alarmed,"  called  Mr.  Sharp  quickly, 
noting  that  his  companion  was  in  distress  because 
of  the  high  altitude.  "That  always  happens  to 

48 


COLLIDING   WITH  A    TOWER  49 

persons  who  go  into  a  thin  air  for  the  first  time ; 
just  as  if  you  had  climbed  a  high  mountain. 
Breathe  as  slowly  as  you  can,  and  swallow  fre- 
quently. That  will  relieve  the  pressure  on  your 
ear  drums.  I'll  send  the  ship  lower." 

Tom  did  as  he  was  advised,  and  the  aeronaut, 
deflecting  the  rudder,  sent  the  Red  Cloud  on  a 
downward  slant.  Tom  at  once  felt  relieved,  both 
because  the  action  of  swallowing  equalized  the 
pressure  on  the  ear  drums,  and  because  the  air- 
ship was  soon  in  a  more  dense  atmosphere,  more 
like  that  of  the  earth. 

"How  are  you  now?"  asked  the  man  of  the 
lad,  as  the  craft  was  again  on  an  even  keel. 

"All  right,"  replied  Tom,  briskly.  "I  didn't 
know  what  ailed  me  at  first." 

"I  was  troubled  the  same  way  when  I  first 
went  up  in  a  balloon,"  commented  Mr.  Sharp. 
"We'll  run  along  for  a  few  miles,  at  an  elevation 
of  about  five  hundred  feet,  and  then  we'll  go  to 
within  a  hundred  feet  of  the  earth,  and  see  how 
the  Red  Cloud  behaves  under  different  conditions. 
Take  a  look  below  and  see  what  you  think  of  it." 

Tom  looked  low,  through  one  of  several  plate- 
glass  windows  in  the  floor  of  the  car.  He  gave 
a  gasp  of  astonishment. 

,  "Why!    We're  right  over  Lake  Carlopa!"  he 
gasped. 


50  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

"Of  course,"  admitted  Mr.  Sharp  with  a  laugh. 
"And  I'm  glad  to  say  that  we're  better  off  than 
when  I  was  last  in  the  air  over  this  same  body  of 
water,"  and  he  could  scarcely  repress  a  shudder 
as  he  thought  of  his  perilous  position  in  the  blaz- 
ing balloon,  as  related  in  detail  in  "Tom  Swift 
and  His  Motor-Boat." 

The  lake  was  spread  out  below  the  navigators 
of  the  air  like  some  mirror  of  silver  in  a  setting 
of  green  fields.  Tom  could  see  a  winding  river, 
that  flowed  into  the  lake,  and  he  noted  towns, 
villages,  and  even  distant  cities,  interspersed  here 
and  there  with  broad  farms  or  patches  of  wood- 
lands, like  a  bird's-eye  view  of  a  stretch  of  coun- 
try. 

"This  is  great !"  he  exclaimed,  with  enthusiasm. 
"I  wouldn't  miss  this  for  the  world!" 

"Oh,  you  haven't  begun  to  see  things  yet,"  re- 
plied Mr.  Sharp.  "Wait  until  we  take  a  long  trip, 
which  we'll  do  soon,  as  this  ship  is  behaving  much 
better  than  I  dared  to  hope.  Well,  we're  five 
hundred  feet  high  now,  and  I'll  run  along  at  that 
elevation  for  a  while." 

Objects  on  the  earth  became  more  distinct  now, 
and  Tom  could  observe  excited  throngs  running 
along  and  pointing  upward.  They  were  several 
miles  from  Shopton,  and  the  machinery  was  run- 


COLLIDING  WITH  A   TOWER  51 

ning  smoothly ;  the  motor,  with  its  many  cylinders 
purring  like  a  big  cat. 

"We  could  have  lunch,  if  we'd  brought  along 
anything  to  eat,"  observed  Tom. 

"Yes,"  assented  his  companion.  "But  I  think 
we'll  go  back  now.  Your  father  may  be  anxious. 
Just  come  here,  Tom,  and  I'll  show  you  how  to 
steer.  I'm  going  down  a  short  distance.  " 

He  depressed  the  rudder,  and  the  Red  Cloud 
shot  earthward.  Then,  as  the  airship  was  turned 
about,  the  young  inventor  was  allowed  to  try  his 
hand  at  managing  it.  He  said,  afterward,  that 
it  was  like  guiding  a  fleecy  cloud. 

"Point  her  straight  for  Shopton,"  counseled 
Mr.  Sharp,  when  he  had  explained  the  various 
wheels  and  levers  to  the  lad. 

"Straight  she  is,"  answered  the  lad,  imitating 
a  sailor's  reply.  "Oh,  but  this  is  great !  It  beats 
even  my  motor-boat !" 

"It  goes  considerably  faster,  at  all  events,"  re- 
marked Mr.  Sharp.  "Keep  her  steady  now,  while 
I  take  a  look  at  the  engine.  I  want  to  be  sure 
it  doesn't  run  hot." 

He  went  aft,  where  all  the  machinery  in  the 
car  was  located,  and  Tom  was  left  alone  in  the 
small  pilot  house.  He  felt  a  thrill  as  he  looked 
down  at  the  earth  beneath  him,  and  saw  the 
crowds  of  wonder-gazers  pointing  at  the  great, 


52  TOM  SWIFT  "AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

red  airship  flying  high  over  their  heads.  Rapidly 
the  open  fields  slipped  along,  giving  place  to  a 
large  city. 

"Rocksmond,"  murmured  Tom,  as  he  noted  it. 
"We're  about  fifty  miles  from  home,  but  we'll  soon 
be  back  in  the  shed  at  this  rate.  We  certainly  are 
slipping  along.  A  hundred  and  fifty  feet  eleva- 
tion," he  went  on,  as  he  looked  at  a  gauge.  I 
wonder  if  I'll  ever  get  used  to  going  several  miles 
up  in  the  air?" 

He  shifted  the  rudder  a  bit,  to  go  to  the  left. 
The  Red  Cloud  obeyed  promptly,  but,  the  next 
instant  something  snapped.  Tom,  with  a  startled 
air,  looked  around.  He  could  see  nothing  wrong, 
but  a  moment  later,  the  airship  dipped  suddenly 
toward  the  earth.  Then  it  seemed  to  increase  its 
forward  speed,  and,  a  few  seconds  later,  was  rush- 
ing straight  at  a  tall,  ornamental  tower  that  rose 
from  one  corner  of  a  large  building. 

"Mr.  Sharp!  Mr.  Sharp!"  cried  the  lad. 
"Something  has  happened!  We're  heading  for 
that  tower!" 

"Steer  to  one  side !"  called  the  balloonist. 

Tom  tried,  but  found  that  the  helm  had  be- 
come jammed.  The  horizontal  rudder  would  not 
work,  and  the  craft  was  rushing  nearer  and  near- 
er, every  minute,  to  the  pile  of  brick  and  mortar. 


COLLIDING   WITH  A   TOWER  53  ' 

"We're  going  to  have  a  collision!"  shouted 
Tom.  "Better  shut  off  the  power!" 

The  two  propellers  were  whirling  around  so 
swiftly  that  they  looked  like  blurs  of  light.  Mr. 
Sharp  came  rushing  forward,  and  Tom  relin- 
quished the  steering  wheel  to  him.  In  vain  did 
the  aeronaut  try  to  change  the  course  of  the  air- 
ship. Then,  with  a  shout  to  Tom  to  disconnect  the 
electric  switch,  the  man  turned  off  the  power  from 
the  motor. 

But  it  was  too  late.  Straight  at  the  tower 
rushed  the  Red  Cloud,  and,  a  moment  later  had 
hit  it  a  glancing  blow,  smashing  the  forward  pro- 
peller, and  breaking  off  both  blades.  The  nose 
of  the  aluminum  gas  container  knocked  off  a  few 
bricks  from  the  tower,  and  then,  the  ship  losing 
way,  slowly  settled  to  the  flat  roof  of  the  building. 

"We're  smashed !"  cried  Tom,  with  something 
like  despair  in  his  voice. 

"That's  nothing!  Don't  worry!  It  might  be 
worse!  Not  the  first  time  I've  had  an  accident. 
It's  only  one  propeller,  and  I  can  easily  make  an- 
other," said  Mr.  Sharp,  in  his  quick,  jerky  sen- 
tences. He  had  allowed  some  of  the  gas  to  escape 
from  the  container,  making  the  ship  less  buoyant, 
so  that  it  remained  on  the  roof. 

The  aeronaut  and  Tom  looked  from  the  win- 
dows of  the  car,  to  note  if  any  further  damage 


54  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

had  been  done.  They  were  just  congratulating 
themselves  that  the  rudder  marked  the  extent, 
when,  from  a  scuttle  in  the  roof  there  came  a 
procession  of  young  ladies,  led  by  an  elderly  ma- 
tron, wearing  spectacles  and  having  a  very  deter- 
mined, bristling  air. 

"Well,  I  must  say,  this  is  a  very  unceremoni- 
ous proceeding !"  exclaimed  the  spectacled  woman. 
"Pray,  gentlemen,  to  what  are  we  indebted  for 
this  honor?" 

"It  was  an  accident,  ma'am,"  replied  Mr. 
Sharp,  removing  his  hat,  and  bowing.  A  mere 
accident!" 

"Humph!  I  suppose  it  was  an  accident  that 
the  tower  of  this  building  was  damaged,  if  not 
absolutely  loosened  at  the  foundations.  You  will 
have  to  pay  the  damages!"  Then  turning,  and 
seeing  about  two  score  of  young  ladies  behind  her 
on  the  flat  roof,  each  young  lady  eying  with  as- 
tonishment, not  unmixed  with  admiration,  the 
airship,  the  elderly  one  added :  "Pupils !  To  your 
rooms  at  once !  How  dare  you  leave  without  per- 
mission?" 

"Oh,  Miss  Perkman !"  exclaimed  a  voice,  at  the 
sound  of  which  Tom  started.  "Mayn't  we  see 
the  airship?  It  will  be  useful  in  our  natural 
philosophy  study !" 

Tom  looked  at  the  young  lady  who  had  spoken. 


COLLIDING   WITH  A    TOWER  55 

"Mary  Nestor!"  he  exclaimed. 

"Tom — I  mean  Mr.  Swift!"  she  rejoined. 
"How  in  the  world  did  you  get  here?" 

"I  was  going  to  ask  you  the  same  question," 
retorted  the  lad.  "We  flew  here." 

"Young  ladies !  Silence !"  cried  Miss  Perk- 
man,  who  was  evidently  the  principal  of  the 
school.  "The  idea  of  any  one  of  you  daring  to 
speak  to  these — these  persons — without  my  per- 
mission, and  without  an  introduction!  I  shall 
make  them  pay  heavily  for  damaging  my  semin- 
ary," she  added,  as  she  strode  toward  Mr.  Sharp, 
who,  by  this  time,  was  out  of  the  car.  'To  your 
rooms  at  once!"  Miss  Perkman  ordered  again, 
but  not  a  young  lady  moved.  The  airship  was  too 
much  of  an  attraction  for  them. 


CHAPTER  VI 

GETTING    OFF    THE    ROOF 

few  minutes  Mr.  Sharp  was  so  engrossed 
with  looking1  underneath  the  craft,  to  ascertain  in 
what  condition  the  various  planes  and  braces  were, 
that  he  paid  little  attention  to  the  old  maid  school 
principal,  after  his  first  greeting.  But  Miss  Perk- 
man  was  not  a  person  to  be  ignored. 

"I  want  pay  for  the  damage  to  the  tower  of  my 
school,"  she  went  on.  "I  could  also  demand  dam- 
ages for  trespassing  on  my  roof,  but  I  will  refrain 
in  this  case.  Young  ladies,  will  you  go  to  your 
rooms?"  she  demanded. 

"Oh,  please,  let  us  stay,"  pleaded  Mary  Nes- 
tor, beside  whom  Tom  now  stood.  "Perhaps 
Professor  Swift  will  lecture  on  clouds  and  air 
currents  and — and  such  things  as  that,"  the  girl 
went  on  slyly,  smiling  at  the  somewhat  embar- 
rassed lad. 

"Ahem !  If  there  is  a  professor  present,  perhaps 
it  might  be  a  good  idea  to  absorb  some  knowl- 

56 


GETTING   OFF  THE  ROOF  57 

edge,"  admitted  the  old  maid,  and,  unconsciously, 
she  smoothed  her  hair,  and  settled  her  gold  spec- 
tacles straighter  on  her  nose.  "Professor,  I  will 
delay  collecting  damages  on  behalf  of  the  Rocks- 
-nond  Young  Ladies  Seminary,  while  you  deliver 
a  lecture  on  air  currents,"  she  went  on,  address- 
ing herself  to  Mr.  Sharp. 

"Oh,  I'm  not  a  professor,"  he  said  quickly. 
"I'm  a  professional  balloonist,  parachute  jumper. 
Give  exhibitions  at  county  fairs.  Leap  for  life, 
and  all  that  sort  of  thing.  I  guess  you  mean  my 
friend.  He's  smart  enough  for  a  professor.  In- 
vented a  lot  of  things.  How  much  is  the  dam- 
age?" 

"No  professor?"  cried  Miss  Perkman  indig- 
nantly. "Why  I  understood  from  Miss  Nestor 
that  she  called  some  one  professor." 

"I  was  referring  to  my  friend,  Mr.  Swift,"  said 
Mary.  "His  father's  a  professor,  anyhow,  isn't 
he,  Tom?  I  mean  Mr.  Swift!" 

"I  believe  he  has  a  degree,  but  he  never  uses 
it,"  was  the  lad's  answer. 

"Ha!  Then  I  have  been  deceived!  There  is 
no  professor  present !"  and  the  old  maid  drew  her- 
self up  as  though  desirous  of  punishing  some 
one.  "Young  ladies,  for  the  last  time,  I  order  you 
to  your  rooms,"  and,  with  a  dramatic  gesture  she 


58  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

pointed  to  the  scuttle  through  which  the  proces- 
sion had  come. 

"Say  something,  Tom — I  mean  Mr.  Swift,"  ap- 
pealed Mary  Nestor,  in  a  whisper,  to  our  hero. 
"Can't  you  give  some  sort  of  a  lecture  ?    The  girls| 
are  just  crazy  to  hear  about  the  airship,  and  this 
ogress  won't  let  us.     Say  something!" 

"I — I  don't  know  what  to  say,"  stammered 
Tom. 

But  he  was  saved  the  necessity  for  just  then 
several  women,  evidently  other  teachers,  came  out 
on  the  roof. 

"Oh,  an  airship !"  exclaimed  one.  "How  love- 
ly! We  thought  it  was  an  earthquake,  and  we 
were  afraid  to  come  up  for  quite  a  while.  But 
an  airship!  I've  always  wanted  to  see  one,  and 
now  I  have  an  opportunity.  It  will  be  just  the 
thing  for  my  physical  geography  and  natural  his- 
tory class.  Young  ladies,  attention,  and  I  will 
explain  certain  things  to  you." 

"Miss  Delafield,  do  you  understand  enough 
about  an  airship  to  lecture  on  one?"  asked  Miss 
Perkman  smartly. 

"Enough  so  that  my  class  may  benefit,"  an- 
swered the  other  teacher,  who  was  quite  pretty. 

"Ahem!  That  is  sufficient,  and  a  different 
matter,"  conceded  Miss  Perkman.  "Young  ladies, 
give  your  undivided  attention  to  Miss  Dela- 


GETTING   OFF   THE  ROOF  59 

field,  and  I  trust  you  will  profit  by  what  she  tells 
you.  Meanwhile  I  wish  to  have  some  conversa- 
tion concerning  damages  with  the  persons  who  so 
unceremoniously  visited  us.  It  is  a  shame  that 
the  pupils  of  the  Rocksmond  Seminary  should  be 
disturbed  at  their  studies.  Sir,  I  wish  to  talk  with 
you,"  and  the  principal  pointed  a  long,  straight 
finger  at  Mr.  Sharp. 

"Young  ladies,  attention!"  called  Miss  Dela- 
field.  "You  will  observe  the  large  red  body  at 
the  top,  that  is—" 

"I'd  rather  have  you  explain  it,"  whispered 
Mary  Nestor  to  Tom.  "Come  on,  slip  around  to 
the  other  side.  May  I  bring  a  few  of  my  friends 
with  me?  I  can't  bear  Miss  Delafield.  She 
thinks  she  knows  everything.  She  won't  see  us 
if  we  slip  around." 

"I  shall  be  delighted,"  replied  Tom,  "only  I 
fear  I  may  have  to  help  Mr.  Sharp  out  of  this 
trouble."  ' 

"Don't  worry  about  me,  Tom,"  said  the  bal- 
loonist, who  overheard  him.  "Let  me  do  the  ex- 
plaining. I'm  an  old  hand  at  it.  Been  in  trouble 
before.  Many  a  time  I've  had  to  pay  damages 
for  coming  down  in  a  farmer's  corn  field.  I'll 
attend  to  the  lady  principal,  and«you  can  explain 
things  to  the  young  ones,"  and,  with  a  wink,  the 
jolly  aeronaut  stepped  over  to  where  Miss  Perk- 


60  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HlS  AIRSHIP 

man,  in  spite  of  her  prejudice  against  the  airship, 
was  observing  it  curiously. 

Glad  to  have  the  chance  to  talk  to  his  young 
lady  friend,  Tom  slipped  to  the  opposite  side  of 
the  car  with  her  and  a  few  of  her  intimate  friends, 
to  whom  she  slyly  beckoned.  There  Tom  told 
how  the  Red  Cloud  came  to  be  built,  and  of  his 
first  trip  in  the  air,  while,  on  the  opposite  side, 
Miss  Delafield  lectured  to  the  entire  school  on 
aeronautics,  as  she  thought  she  knew  them. 

Mr.  Sharp  evidently  did  know  how  to  "explain" 
matters  to  the  irate  principal,  for,  in  a  short 
while,  she  was  smiling.  By  this  time  Tom  had 
about  finished  his  little  lecture,  and  Miss  Dela- 
field was  at  the  end  of  hers.  The  entire  school 
of  girls  was  grouped  about  the  Red  Cloud, 
curiously  examining  it,  but  Mary  Nestor  and  her 
friends  probably  learned  more  than  any  of  the 
others.  Tom  was  informed  that  his  friend  had 
been  attending  the  school  in  Rocksmond  since  the 
fall  term  opened. 

"I  little  thought,  when  I  found  we  were  going 
to  smash  into  that  tower,  that  you  were  below 
there,  studying,"  said  the  lad  to  the  girl. 

"I'm  afraid  I  wasn't  doing  much  studying," 
she  confessed.  "I  had  just  a  glimpse  of  the  air- 
ship through  the  window,  and  I  was  wondering 
•who  was  'in  it,  when  the  crash  came.  Miss  Perk- 


GETTING  OFF  THE  ROOF  6l 

man,  who  is  nothing  if  not  brave,  at  once  started 
for  the  roof,  and  we  girls  all  followed  her.  How- 
ever, are  you  going  to  get  the  ship  down?" 

"I'm  afraid  it  is  going  to  be  quite  a  job,"  ad- 
mitted Tom  ruefully.  "Something  went  wrong 
with  the  machinery,  or  this  never  would  have 
happened.  As  soon  as  Mr.  Sharp  has  settled  with 
your  principal  we'll  see  what  we  can  do." 

"I  guess  he's  settled  now,"  observed  Miss  Nes- 
tor. "Here  he  comes." 

The  aeronaut  and  Miss  Perkman  were  ap- 
proaching together,  and  the  old  maid  did  not  seem 
half  so  angry  as  she  had  been. 

"You  see,"  Mr.  Sharp  was  saying,  "it  will  be  a 
good  advertisement  for  your  school.  Think  of 
having  the  distinction  of  having  harbored  the 
powerful  airship,  Red  Cloud,  on  your  roof." 

"I  never  thought  of  it  in  that  light,"  admitted 
the  principal.  "Perhaps  you  are  right.  I  shall 
put  it  in  my  next  catalog." 

"And,  as  for  damages  to  the  tower,  we  will  pay 
you  fifty  dollars,"  continued  the  balloonist.  "Do 
you  agree  to  that,  Mr.  Swift?"  he  asked  Tom. 
"I  think  your  father,  the  professor,  would  call  that 
fair." 

"Oh,  as  long;  as  this  airship  is  partly  the  prop- 
erty of  a  professor,  perhaps  I  should  only  take 
thirty-five  dollars,"  put  in  Miss  Perkman.  "I 


62  TOM  SWIFT  'AND  HIS  'AIRSHIP 

am  a  great  admirer  of  professors — I  mean  in  a 
strictly  educational  sense,"  she  went  on,  as  she 
detected  a  tendency  on  the  part  of  some  of  the 
young  ladies  to  giggle. 

"No,  fifty  dollars  will  be  about  right,"  went 
on  Mr.  Sharp,  pulling  out  a  well-filled  wallet.  "I 
will  pay  you  now." 

"And  if  you  will  wait  I  will  give  you  a  re- 
ceipt," continued  the  principal,  evidently  as  much 
appeased  at  the  mention  of  a  professor's  title,  as 
she  was  by  the  money. 

"We're  getting  off  cheap,"  the  balloonist  whisp- 
ered to  Tom,  as  the  head  of  the  seminary  started 
down  the  scuttle  to  the  class-rooms  below. 

"Maybe  it's  easier  getting  out  of  that  difficulty 
than  it  will  be  to  get  off  the  roof,"  replied  the 
lad. 

"Don't  worry.  Leave  that  to  me,"  the  aero- 
naut said.  It  took  considerable  to  ruffle  Mr. 
Sharp. 

With  a  receipt  in  full  for  the  damage  to  the 
tower,  and  expressing  the  hope  that,  some  day, 
in  the  near  future,  Professor  Swift  would  do  the 
seminary  the  honor  of  lecturing  to  the  young 
lady  pupils,  Miss  Perkman  bade  Mr.  Sharp  and 
Tom  good-by. 

"Young  ladies,  to  your  rooms!"  she  com- 
manded. "You  have  learned  enough  of  airships. 


GETTING  OFF  THE  ROOF.  63 

and  there  may  be  some  danger  getting  this  one  off 
the  roof/' 

"Wouldn't  you  like  to  stay  and  take  a  ride  in 
it?"  Tom  asked  Miss  Nestor. 

"Indeed  I  would,"  she  answered  daringly.  "It's 
better  than  a  motor-boat.  May  I?" 

"Some  day,  when  we  get  more  expert  in  man- 
aging it,"  he  replied,  as  he  shook  hands  with 
her. 

"Now  for  some  hard  work,"  went  on  the  young 
inventor  to  Mr.  Sharp,  when  the  roof  was  cleared 
of  the  last  of  the  teachers  and  pupils.  But  the 
windows  that  gave  a  view  of  the  airship  in  its 
odd  position  on  the  roof  were  soon  filled  with 
eager  faces,  while  in  the  streets  below  was  a 
great  crowd,  offering  all  manner  of  suggestions. 
"Oh,  it's  not  going  to  be  such  a  task,"  said 
Mr.  Sharp.  "First  we  will  repair  the  rudder 
and  the  machinery,  and  then  we'll  generate  some 
more  gas,  rise  and  fly  home." 

"But  the  broken  propeller?"  objected  Tom. 
"We  can  fly  with  one,  as  well  as  we  can  witK 
two,  but  not  so  swiftly.     Don't  worry.     We'll 
come  out  all  right,"  and  the  balloonist  assumed 
a  confident  air. 

It  was  not  so  difficult  a  problem  as  Tom  had 
imagined  to  put  the  machinery  in  order,  a  simple 
break  having  impaired  the  working  of  the  aid- 


64  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

der.  Then  the  smashed  propeller  was  unshipped 
and  the  gas  machine  started.  With  all  the  pupils 
watching  from  windows,  and  a  crowd  observing 
from  the  streets  and  surrounding  country,  for 
word  of  the  happening  had  spread,  Tom  and  his 
friend  prepared  to  ascend. 

They  arose  as  well  as  they  had  done  at  the 
shed  at  home,  and  in  a  little  while,  were  floating 
over  the  school.  Tom  fancied  he  could  observe 
a  certain  hand  waving  to  him,  as  he  peered  from 
the  window  of  the  car — a  hand  in  one  of  the 
school  casements,  but  where  there  were  so  many 
pretty  girls  doing  the  same  thing,  I  hardly  see  how 
Tom  could  pick  out  any  certain  one,  though  he 
had  extraordinarily  good  eyesight.  However,  the 
airship  was  now  afloat  and,  starting  the  motor, 
Mr.  Sharp  found  that  even  with  one  propeller  the 
Red  Cloud  did  fairly  well,  making  good  speed. 

"Now  for  home,  to  repair  everything,  and 
we'll  be  ready  for  a  longer  trip,"  the  aeronaut 
said  to  the  young  inventor,  as  they  turned  around, 
and  headed  off  before  the  wind,  while  hundreds 
below  them  cheered. 

"We  ought  to  carry  spare  propellers  if  we're 
going  to  smash  into  school  towers,"  remarked 
iTom.  "I  seem  to  be  a  sort  of  hoodoo." 

"Nonsense !  It  wasn't  your  fault  at  all,"  com- 
mented Mr.  Sharp  warmly.  "It  would  have  hap- 


GETTING   OFF   THE  ROOF  65 

pened  to  me  had  I  been  steering.  But  we  will 
take  an  extra  propeller  along  after  this." 

An  hour  later  they  arrived  in  front  of  the  big 
shed  and  the  Red  Cloud  was  safely  housed.  Mr. 
Swift  was  just  beginning  to  get  anxious  about 
his  son  and  his  friend,  and  was  glad  to  welcome 
them  back. 

"Now  for  a  big  trip,  in  about  a  week!"  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Sharp  enthusiastically.  "You'll  come 
with  us,  won't  you,  Mr.  Swift?" 

The  inventor  slowly  shook  his  head. 

"Not  on  a  trip,"  he  said.  "I  may  go  for  a  trial 
spin  with  you,  but  I've  got  too  important  a  matter 
under  way  to  venture  on  a  long  trip,"  and  he 
turned  away  without  explaining  what  it  was. 
But  Tom  and  Mr.  Sharp  were  soon  to  learn. 


CHAPTER  VII 

ANDY  TRIES  A  TRICK 

WITHOUT  loss  of  time  the  young  inventor  and 
the  aeronaut  began  to  repair  the  damage  done  to 
the  Red  Cloud  by  colliding  with  the  tower.  The 
most  important  part  to  reconstruct  was  the  pro- 
peller, and  Mr.  Sharp  decided  to  make  two,  in- 
stead of  one,  in  order  to  have  an  extra  one  in 
case  of  future  accidents. 

Tom's  task  was  to  arrange  the  mechanism 
so  that,  hereafter,  the  rudder  could  not  become 
jammed,  and  so  prevent  the  airship  from  steer- 
ing properly.  This  the  lad  accomplished  by  a 
simple  but  effective  device  which,  when  the  bal- 
loonist saw  it,  caused  him  to  compliment  Tom. 

"That's  worth  patenting,"  he  declared.  "I  ad- 
vise you  to  take  out  papers  on  that." 

"It  seems  such  a  simple  thing/'  answered  the 
youth.  "And  I  don't  see  much  use  of  spending 
the  money  for  a  patent.  Airships  aren't  likely  to 

66 


ANDY   TRIES   A    TRICK  67 

be  so  numerous  that  I  could  make  anything  off 
that  patent." 

"You  take  my  advice,"  insisted  Mr.  Sharp. 
"Airships  are  going  to  be  used  more  in  the  fu- 
ture than  you  have  any  idea  of.  You  get  that 
device  patented." 

Tom  did  so,  and,  not  many  years  afterward 
he  was  glad  that  he  had,  as  it  brought  him  quite 
an  income. 

It  required  several  days'  work  on  the  Red 
Cloud  before  it  was  in  shape  for  another  trial, 
During  the  hours  when  he  was  engaged  in  the 
big  shed,  helping  Mr.  Sharp,  the  young  inventor 
spent  many  minutes  calling  to  mind  the  memory 
of  a  certain  fair  face,  and  I  think  I  need  not  men- 
tion any  names  to  indicate  whose  face  it  was. 

"She  promised  to  go  for  a  ride  with  me,"  mused 
the  lad.  "I  hope  she  doesn't  back  out.  But  I'll 
want  to  learn  more  about  managing  the  ship  be- 
fore I  venture  with  her  in  it.  It  won't  do  to  have 
any  accidents  then.  There's  Ned  Newton,  too. 
I  must  take  him  for  a  skim  in  the  clouds.  Guess 
I'll  invite  him  over  some  afternoon,  and  give  him 
a  private  view  of  the  machine,  when  we  get  it  in 
shape  again." 

About  a  week  after  the  accident  at  the  school 
Mr.  Sharp  remarked  to  Tom  one  afternoon : 

"If  the  weather  is  good  to-morrow,  we'll  try 


68  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

another  flight.  Do  you  suppose  your  father  will 
come  along  ?" 

"I  don't  know,"  answered  the  lad.  "He  seems 
much  engrossed  in  something.  It's  unusual,  too, 
for  he  most  generally  tells  me  what  he  is  engaged 
upon.  However,  I  guess  he  will  say  something 
about  it  when  he  gets  ready." 

"Well,  if  he  doesn't  feel  just  like  coming,  don't 
argue  him.  He  might  be  nervous,  and,  while  the 
ship  is  new,  I  don't  want  any  nervous  passengers 
aboard.  I  can't  give  them  my  attention  and  look 
after  the  running  of  the  machinery." 

"I  was  going  to  propose  bringing  a  friend  of 
mine  over  to  see  us  make  the  trip  to-morrow," 
went  on  the  young  inventor.  "Ned  Newton — 
you  know  him.  He'd  like  a  ride." 

"Oh,  I  guess  Ned's  all  right.  Let  him  come 
along.  We  won't  go  very  high  to-morrow.  After 
a  trial  rise  by  means  of  the  gas,  I'm  going  to 
lower  the  ship  to  the  ground,  and  try  for  an  ele- 
vation by  means  of  the  planes.  Oh,  yes,  bring  your 
friend  along." 

Ned  Newton  was  delighted  the  next  day  to 
receive  Tom's  invitation,  and,  though  a  little 
dubious  about  trusting  himself  in  an  airship  for 
the  first  time,  finally  consented  to  go  with  his 
chum.  He  got  a  half  holiday  from  the  bank,  and, 
shortly  after  dinner  went  to  Tom's  house. 


ANDY   TRIES  A   TRICK  69 

"Come  on  out  in  the  shed  and  take  a  look  at 
the  Red  Cloud''  proposed  the  young  inventor. 
"Mr.  Sharp  isn't  quite  ready  to  start  yet,  and  I'll 
explain  some  things  to  you." 

The  big  shed  was  deserted  when  the  lads  en- 
tered, and  went  to  the  loft  where  they  were  on  a 
level  with  the  big,  red  aluminum  tank.  Tom 
began  with  a  description  of  the  machinery,  and 
Ned  followed  him  with  interest. 

"Now  we'll  go  down  into  the  car  or  cabin," 
continued  the  young  navigator  of  the  air,  "and 
I'll  show  you  what  we  do  when  we're  touring 
amid  the  clouds." 

As  they  started  to  descend  the  flight  of  steps 
from  the  loft  platform,  a  noise  on  the  ground 
below  attracted  their  attention. 

"Guess  that's  Mr.  Sharp  coming,"  said  Ned. 

Tom  leaned  over  and  looked  down.  An  instant 
later  he  grasped  the  arm  of  his  chum,  and  mo- 
tioned to  him  to  keep  silent. 

"Take  a  look,"  whispered  the  young  inventor. 

"Andy  Foger!"  exclaimed  Ned,  peering  over 
the  railing. 

"Yes,  and  Sam  Snedecker  and  Pete  Bailey  are 
with  him.  They  sneaked  in  when  I  left  the  door 
open.  Wonder  what  they  want?" 

"Up  to  some  mischief,  I'll  wager,"  commented 
Ned.  "Hark!  They're  talking." 


70  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

The  two  lads  on  the  loft  listened  intently. 
Though  the  cronies  on  the  ground  below  them 
did  not  speak  loudly,  their  voices  came  plainly 
to  the  listeners. 

"Let' s  poke  a  hole  in  their  gas  bag/'  proposed 
Sam.  "That  will  make  them  think  they're  not  so 
smart  as  they  pretend." 

"Naw,  we  can't  do  that,"  answered  Andy. 

"Why  not?"  declared  Pete. 

"Because  the  bag's  away  up  in  the  top  part  of 
the  shed,  and  I'm  not  going  to  climb  up  there." 

"You're  afraid,"  sneered  Sam. 

"I  am  not !  I'll  punch  your  face  if  you  say  that 
again!  Besides  the  thing  that  holds  the  gas  is 
made  of  aluminum,  and  we  can't  make  a  hole  in 
it  unless  we  take  an  axe,  and  that  makes  too  much 


noise." 


"We  ought  to  play  some  sort  of  a  trick  on 
Tom  Swift,"  proposed  Pete.  "He's  too  fresh!" 

Tom  shook  his  fist  at  the  lads  on  the  ground, 
but  of  course  they  did  not  see  him. 

"I  have  it !"  came  from  Andy. 

"What?"  demanded  his  two  cronies. 

"We'll  cut  some  of  the  guy  wires  from  the 
planes  and  rudders.  That  will  make  the  airship 
collapse.  They'll  think  the  wires  broke  from  the 
strain.  Take  out  your  knives  and  saw  away  at 
the  wires.  Hurry,  too,  or  they  may  catch  us." 


ANDY   TRIES  A   TRICK  71 

"You're  caught  now,"  whispered  Ned  to  Tom. 
"Come  on  down,  and  give  'em  a  trouncing." 

Tom  hesitated.  He  looked  quickly  about  the 
loft,  and  then  a  smile  replaced  the  frown  of  right- 
eous anger  on  his  face. 

"I  have  a  better  way,"  he  said. 

"What  is  it?" 

"See  that  pile  of  dirt?"  and  he  pointed  to  some 
refuse  that  had  been  swept  up  from  the  floor 
of  the  loft.  Ned  nodded.  "It  consists  of  a  lot 
of  shavings,  sawdust  and,  what's  more,  a  lot  of 
soot  and  lampblack  that  we  used  in  mixing  some 
paint.  We'll  sweep  the  whole  pile  down  on  their 
heads,  and  make  them  wish  they'd  stayed  away 
from  this  place." 

"Good !"  exclaimed  Ned,  chuckling.  "Give  me 
a  broom.  There's  another  one  for  you." 

The  two  lads  in  the  loft  peered  down.  The 
red-headed,  squint-eyed  bully  and  his  chums  had 
their  knives  out,  and  were  about  to  cut  some  of 
the  important  guy  wires,  when,  at  a  signal  from 
Tom,  Ned,  with  a  sweep  of  his  broom,  sent  a 
big  pile  of  the  dirt,  sawdust  and  lampblack  down 
upon  the  heads  of  the  conspirators.  The  young 
inventor  did  the  same  thing,  and  for  an  instant 
the  lower  part  of  the  shed  looked  as  if  a  dirt- 
storm  had  taken  place  there.  The  pile  of  refuse 
went  straight  down  on  the  heads  of  the  trio,  apd, 


72  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

as  they  were  looking  up,  in  order  to  see  to  cut  the 
wires,  they  received  considerable  of  it  in  their 
faces. 

In  an  instant  the  white  countenances  of  the 
lads  were  changed  to  black — as  black  as  the 
burnt-cork  performers  in  a  minstrel  show.  Then 
came  a  series  of  howls. 

"Wow!    Who  did  that!" 

"I'm  blinded !    The  shed  is  falling  down !" 

"Run  fellows,  run !"  screamed  Andy.  "There's 
been  an  explosion.  We'll  be  killed!" 

At  that  moment  the  big  doors  of  the  shed  were 
thrown  open,  and  Mr.  Sharp  came  in.  He  started 
back  in  astonishment  at  the  sight  of  the  three 
grotesque  figures,  their  faces  black  with  the  soot, 
and  their  clothes  covered  with  sawdust  and  shav- 
ings, rushing  wildly  around. 

"That  will  teach  you  to  come  meddling  around 
here,  Andy  Foger !"  cried  Tom. 

"I — I — you — you — Oh,  wait — I — you — "  splut- 
tered the  bully,  almost  speechless  with  rage.  Sam 
and  Pete  were  wildly  trying  to  wipe  the  stuff  from 
their  faces,  but  only  made  matters  worse.  They 
were  so  startled  that  they  did  not  know  enough 
to  run  out  of  the  opened  doors. 

"Wish  we  had  some  more  stuff  to  put  on  *em," 
remarked  Ned,  who  was  holding  his  sides  that 
ached  from  laughter. 


ANDY   TRIES  A    TRICK  73 

"I  have  it!"  cried  Tom,  and  he  caught  up  a 
bucket  of  red  paint,  that  had  been  used  to  give 
the  airship  its  brilliant  hue.  Running  to  the  end 
of  the  loft  Tom  stood  for  an  instant  over  the  trio 
of  lads  who  were  threatening  and  imploring  by 
turns. 

"Here's  another  souvenir  of  your  visit/' 
shouted  the  young  inventor,  as  he  dashed  the 
bucket  of  red  paint  down  on  the  conspirators. 
This  completed  the  work  of  the  dirt  and  soot,  and 
a  few  seconds  later,  each  face  looking  like  a 
stage  Indian's  ready  for  the  war-path,  the  trio 
dashed  out.  They  shed  shavings,  sawdust  and 
lampblack  at  every  step,  and  from  their  clothes 
and  hands  and  faces  dripped  the  carmine  paint. 

"Better  have  your  pictures  taken!"  cried  Ned, 
peering  from  an  upper  window. 

"Yes,  and  send  us  one,"  added  Tom,  joining 
his  chum.  Andy  looked  up  at  them.  He  dug 
a  mass  of  red  paint  from  his  left  ear,  removed 
a  mass  of  soot  from  his  right  cheek,  and,  shak- 
ing his  fist,  which  was  alternately  striped  red 
and  black,  cried  out  in  a  rage: 

"I'll  get  even  with  you  yet,  Tom  Swift!" 

"You  only  got  what  was  coming  to  you,"  re- 
torted the  young  inventor.  "The  next  time  you 
come  sneaking  around  this  airship,  trying  to 
damage  it,  you'll  get  worse,  and  I'll  have  you 


74  TOM  SWIFT  'AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

arrested.     You've  had  your  lesson,  and  don't 
forget  it." 

The  red-haired  bully,  doubly  red-haired  now, 
had  nothing  more  to  say.  There  was  nothing 
he  could  say,  and,  accompanied  by  his  compan- 
ions, he  made  a  bee-line  for  the  rear  gate  in  the 
fence,  and  darted  across  the  meadow.  They  were 
all  sorry  enough  looking  specimens,  but  solely 
through  their  own  fault. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

WINNING  A  PRIZE 

"WELL,  Tom,  what  happened?"  asked  Mr. 
Sharp,  as  he  saw  the  trio  running  away.  "Looks 
as  if  you  had  had  an  exciting  time  here." 

"No,  those  fellows  had  all  the  excitement," 
declared  Ned.  "We  had  the  fun."  And  the  two 
lads  proceeded  to  relate  what  had  taken  place. 

"Tried  to  damage  the  airship,  eh?"  asked  Mr. 
Sharp.  "I  wish  I'd  caught  them  at  it,  the  scoun- 
drels! But  perhaps  you  handled  them  as  well 
as  I  could  have  done." 

"I  guess  so,"  assented  Tom.  "I  must  see  if 
they  did  cut  any  of  the  wires." 

But  the  young  inventor  and  his  chum  had 
acted  too  quickly,  and  it  was  found  that  nothing 
had  been  done  to  the  Red  Cloud. 

A  little  later  the  airship  was  taken  out  of  the 
shed,  and  made  ready  for  a  trip.  The  gas  ascen- 
sion was  first  used,  and  Ned  and  Mr.  Swift  were 
passengers  with  Tom  and  Mr.  Sharp.  The  ma- 

75 


76  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

chine  went  about  a  thousand  feet  up  in  the  air, 
and  then  was  sent  in  various  directions,  to  the 
no  small  delight  of  a  large  crowd  that  gathered 
in  the  meadow  back  of  the  swift  property;  for  it 
only  required  the  sight  of  the  airship  looming  its 
bulk  above  the  fence  and  buildings,  to  attract  a 
throng.  It  is  safe  to  say  this  time,  however,  that 
Andy  Foger  and  his  cronies  were  not  in  the 
audience.  They  were  probably  too  busy  removing 
the  soot  and  red  paint. 

Although  it  was  the  first  time  Mr.  Swift  had 
ever  been  in  an  airship,  he  evinced  no  great  as- 
tonishment. In  fact  he  seemed  to  be  thinking 
deeply,  and  on  some  subject  not  connected  with 
aeronautics.  Tom  noticed  the  abstraction  of  his 
father,  and  shook  his  head.  Clearly  the  aged  in- 
ventor was  not  his  usual  self. 

As  for  Ned  Newton  his  delight  knew  no 
bounds,  At  first  he  was  a  bit  apprehensive  as  the 
big  ship  went  higher  and  higher,  and  swung  about, 
but  he  soon  lost  his  fear,  and  enjoyed  the  experi- 
ence as  much  as  did  Tom.  The  young  inventor 
was  busy  helping  Mr.  Sharp  manage  the  ma- 
chinery, rudders-planes  and  motor. 

A  flight  of  several  miles  was  made,  and  Tom 
was  wishing  they  might  pay  another  visit  to  the 
Rocksmond  Seminary,  but  Mr.  Sharp,  after  com- 


WINNING  A  PRIZE  77 

pleting  several  evolutions,  designed  to  test  the 
steering  qualities  of  the  craft,  put  back  home 

"We'll  land  in  the  meadow  and  try  rising  by 
the  planes  alone,"  he  said.  In  this  evolution  it 
was  deemed  best  for  Mr.  Swift  and  Ned  to  alight, 
as  there  was  no  telling  just  how  the  craft  would 
behave.  Tom's  father  was  very  willing  to  get 
out,  but  Ned  would  have  remained  in,  only  for 
the  desire  of  his  friend. 

With  the  two  propellers  whirring  at  a  tre- 
mendous speed,  and  all  the  gas  out  of  the  alum- 
inum container,  the  Red  Cloud  shot  forward,  run- 
ning over  the  level  ground  of  the  meadow,  where 
a  starting  course  had  been  laid  out. 

"Clear  the  track !"  cried  Mr.  Sharp,  as  he  saw 
the  crowd  closing  up  in  front  of  him.  The  men, 
boys,  several  girls  and  women  made  a  living  lane. 
Through  this  shot  the  craft,  and  then,  when  suffi- 
cient momentum  had  been  obtained,  Tom,  at  a 
command  from  the  aeronaut,  pulled  the  lever  of 
the  elevation  rudder.  Up  into  the  air  shot  the 
nose  of  the  Red  Cloud  as  the  wind  struck  the 
slanting  surface  of  the  planes,  and,  a  moment 
later  it  was  sailing  high  above  the  heads  of  the 
throng. 

"That's  the  stuff !"  cried  Mr.  Sharp.  "It  works 
as  well  that  way  as  it  does  with  the  gas!" 

Higher  and  higher  it  went,  and  then,  coming 


78  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

to  a  level  keel,  the  craft  was  sent  here  and  there, 
darting  about  like  a  bird,  and  going  about  in 
huge  circles. 

"Start  the  gas  machine,  and  we'll  come  to  rest 
in  the  air,"  said  the  balloonist,  and  Tom  did  so. 
As  the  powerful  vapor  filled  the  container  the 
ship  acquired  a  bouyancy,  and  there  was  no  need 
of  going  at  high  speed  in  order  to  sustain  it.  The 
propellers  were  stopped,  and  the  Red  Cloud 
floated  two  thousand  feet  in  the  air,  only  a  little 
distance  below  some  fleecy,  white  masses  from 
which  she  took  her  name.  The  demonstration 
was  a  great  success.  The  gas  was  again  allowed 
to  escape,  the  propellers  set  in  motion,  and  pure-* 
ly  as  an  aeroplane,  the  ship  was  again  sent  for- 
ward. By  means  of  the  planes  and  rudders  a  per- 
fect landing  was  made  in  the  meadow,  a  short 
distance  from  where  the  start  had  been  made.  The 
crowd  cheered  the  plucky  youth  and  Mr.  Sharp. 

"Now  I'm  ready  to  go  on  a  long  trip  any  time 
you  are,  Tom,"  said  the  aeronaut  that  night. 

"We'll  fit  up  the  car  and  get  ready,"  agreed 
the  youth.  "How  about  you,  dad?" 

"Me?  Oh,  well — er — that  is,  you  see;  well, 
I'll  think  about  it,"  and  Mr.  Swift  went  to  his 
own  room,  carrying  with  him  a  package  of  papers, 
containing  intricate  calculations. 


WINNING  A  PRIZE  79 

Tom  shook  his  head,  but  said  nothing.  He 
could  not  understand  his  father's  conduct. 

Work  was  started  the  next  day  on  fitting  up  the 
car,  or  cabin,  of  the  airship,  so  that  several  per- 
sons could  live,  eat  and  sleep  in  it  for  two  weeks, 
if  necessary.  The  third  day  after  this  task  had 
been  commenced  the  mail  brought  an  unusual 
communication  to  Tom  and  Mr.  Sharp.  It  was 
from  an  aero  club  of  Blakeville,  a  city  distant 
about  a  hundred  miles,  and  stated  that  a  compe- 
tition for  aeroplanes  and  dirigible  balloons  was 
to  be  held  in  the  course  of  two  weeks.  The  af- 
fair was  designed  to  further  interest  in  the  sport, 
and  also  to  demonstrate  what  progress  had  been 
made  in  the  art  of  conquering  the  air.  Prizes  were 
to  be  given,  and  the  inventors  of  the  Red  Cloud, 
the  achievements  of  which  the  committee  of  ar- 
rangements had  heard,  were  invited  to  compete. 

"Shall  we  go  in  for  it,  Tom?"  asked  the  bal- 
loonist. 

"I'm  willing  if  you  are." 

"Then  let's  do  it.  We'll  see  how  our  craft  shows 
up  alongside  of  others.  I  know  something  of 
this  club.  It  is  all  right,  but  the  carnival  is 
likely  to  be  a  small  one.  Once  I  gave  a  balloon 
exhibition  for  them.  The  managers  are  all  right 
Well,  we'll  have  a  try  at  it.  Won't  do  us  any 
harm  to  win  a  prize.  Then  for  a  long  trip!" 


80  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

As  it  was  not  necessary  to  have  the  car,  or 
cabin,  completely  fitted  up  in  order  to  compete  for 
the  prize,  work  in  that  direction  was  suspended 
for  the  time  being,  and  more  attention  was  paid 
to  the  engine,  the  planes  and  rudders.  Some 
changes  were  made  and,  a  week  later  the  Red 
Cloud  departed  for  Blakeville.  As  the  rules  of 
the  contest  required  three  passengers,  Ned  Newton 
was  taken  along,  Mr.  Swift  having  arranged  with 
the  bank  president  so  that  the  lad  could  have  a 
few  days  off. 

The  Red  Cloud  arrived  at  the  carnival  grounds 
in  the  evening,  having  been  delayed  on  the  trip 
by  a  broken  cog  wheel,  which  was  mended  in 
mid-air.  As  the  three  navigators  approached,  they 
saw  a  small  machine  flying  around  the  grounds. 

"Look!"  cried  Ned  excitedly.  "What  a  small 
airship." 

"That's  a  monoplane/'  declared  Tom,  who  was 
getting  to  be  quite  an  expert. 

"Yes,  the  same  kind  that  was  used  to  cross 
the  English  Channel,"  interjected  Mr.  Sharp. 
"They're  too  uncertain  for  my  purposes,  though 
they  are  all  right  under  certain  conditions." 

Hardly  had  he  spoken  than  a  puff  of  wind 
caused  the  daring  manipulator  of  the  monoplane 
to  swerve  to  one  side.  He  had  to  make  a  quick 


WINNING  A  PRIZE  8l 

descent — so  rapid  was  it,  in  fact,  that  the  tips 
of  one  of  his  planes  was  smashed. 

"It'll  take  him  a  day  to  repair  that,"  com- 
mented the  aeronaut  dryly. 

The  Red  Cloud  created  a  sensation  as  she  slow- 
ly settled  down  in  front  of  the  big  tent  assigned  to 
her.  Tom's  craft  was  easily  the  best  one  at  the 
carnival,  so  far,  though  the  managers  said  other 
machines  were  on  the  way. 

The  exhibition  opened  the  next  day,  but  no 
flights  were  to  be  attempted  until  the  day  follow- 
ing. Two  more  crafts  arrived,  a  large  triplane, 
and  a  dirigible  balloon.  There  were  many  visi- 
tors to  the  ground,  and  Tom,  Ned  and  Mr.  Sharp 
were  kept  busy  answering  questions  put  by  those 
who  crowded  into  their  tent.  Toward  the  close 
of  the  day  a  fussy  little  Frenchman  entered,  and, 
making  his  way  to  where  Tom  stood,  asked : 

"Air  you  ze  ownair  of  zis  machine?" 

"One  of  them,"  replied  the  lad. 

"Ha !  Sacre !  Zen  I  challenge  you  to  a  race.  I 
have  a  monoplane  zat  is  ze  swiftest  evaire!  One 
thousand  francs  will  I  wager  you,  zat  I  can  fly 
higher  and  farther  zan  you."  ( 

"Shall  we  take  him  up,  Mr.  Sharp?"  asked 
Tom. 

"We'll  race  with  him,  after  we  get  through 
with  the  club  entries,"  decided  the  aeronaut,,  "but 


82  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

not  for  money.  It's  against  my  principles,  and 
I  don't  believe  your  father  would  like  it.  Rac- 
ing for  prizes  is  a  different  thing." 

"Well,  we  will  devote  ze  money  to  charity/' 
conceded  the  Frenchman.  This  was  a  different 
matter,  and  one  to  which  Mr.  Sharp  did  not  ob- 
ject, so  it  was  arranged  that  a  trial  should  take 
place  after  the  regular  affairs. 

That  night  was  spent  in  getting  the  Red  Cloud 
in  shape  for  the  contests  of  the  next  day.  She  was 
"groomed"  until  every  wire  was  taut  and  every 
cog,  lever  and  valve  working  perfectly.  Ned 
Newton  helped  all  he  could.  So  much  has  ap- 
peared in  the  newspapers  of  the  races  at  Blake- 
ville  that  I  will  not  devote  much  space  here  to 
them.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  the  Red  Cloud  easily 
distanced  the  big  dirigible  from  which  much  was 
expected.  It  was  a  closer  contest  with  the  large 
triplane,  but  Tom's  airship  won,  and  was  given 
the  prize,  a  fine  silver  cup. 

As  the  carnival  was  a  small  one,  no  other 
craft  in  a  class  with  the  Red  Cloud  had  been  en- 
tered, so  Tom  and  Mr.  Sharp  had  to  be  con- 
tent with  the  one  race  they  won.  There  were 
other  contests  among  monoplanes  and  biplanes, 
and  the  little  Frenchman  won  two  races. 

"Now  for  ze  affaire  wis  ze  monstaire  balloon 
of  ze  rouge  color !"  he  cried,  as  he  alighted  from 


WINNING  A   PRIZE  83 

his  monoplane  while  an  assistant  filled  the  gas- 
olene tank.  "I  will  in  circles  go  around  you, 
up  and  down,  zis  side  zen  ze  ozzer,  and  presto! 
I  am  back  at  ze  starting  place,  before  you  have 
begun.  Zen  charity  shall  be  ze  richair !" 

"All  right,  wait  and  see/'  said  Tom,  easily. 
But,  though  he  showed  much  confidence  he  asked 
Mr.  Sharp  in  private,  just  before  the  impromptu 
contest:  "Do  you  think  we  can  beat  him?" 

"Well,"  said  the  aeronaut,  shrugging  his 
shoulders,  "you  can't  tell  much  about  the  air. 
His  machine  certainly  goes  very  fast,  but  too 
much  wind  will  be  the  undoing  of  him,  while  it 
will  only  help  us.  And  I  think,"  he  added,  "that 
we're  going  to  get  a  breeze." 

It  was  arranged  that  the  Red  Cloud  would 
start  from  the  ground,  without  the  use  of  the 
gas,  so  as  to  make  the  machines  more  even.  At 
the  signal  off  they  started,  the  motors  making  a 
great  racket.  The  monoplane  with  the  little 
Frenchman  in  the  seat  got  up  first 

"Ah,  ha!"  he  cried  gaily,  "I  leave  you  in  ze 
rear!  Catch  me  if  you  can!" 

"Don't  let  him  beat  us,"  implored  Ned. 

"Can't  you  speed  her  up  any  more?"  inquired 
Tom  of  Mr.  Sharp. 

The  aeronaut  nodded  grimly,  and  turned  more 
gasolene  into  the  twenty-cylindered  engine.  Like 


84  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

a  flash  the  Red  Cloud  darted  forward.  But  the 
Frenchman  also  increased  his  speed  and  did,  ac- 
tually, at  first,  circle  around  the  bigger  machine, 
for  his  affair  was  much  lighter.  But  when  he 
tried  to  repeat  that  feat  he  found  that  he  was 
being  left  behind. 

"That's  the  stuff!  We're  winning!"  yelled  Tom, 
Ned  joining  in  the  shout. 

Then  came  a  puff  of  wind.  The  monoplane 
had  to  descend,  for  it  was  in  danger  of  turning 
turtle.  Still  the  navigator  was  not  going  to  give 
up.  He  flew  along  at  a  lower  level.  Then  Mr. 
Sharp  opened  up  the  Red  Cloud's  engine  at  full 
speed,  and  it  was  the  big  machine  which  now 
sailed  around  the  other. 

"I  protest!  I  protest!"  cried  the  Frenchman, 
above  the  explosions  of  his  motor.  "Ze  wind  is 
too  strong  for  me!" 

Mr.  Sharp  said  nothing,  but,  with  a  queer 
smile  on  his  face  he  sent  the  airship  down  to- 
ward the  earth.  A  moment  later  he  was  directly 
under  the  monoplane.  Then,  quickly  rising,  he 
fairly  caught  the  Frenchman's  machine  on  top 
of  a  square  platform  of  the  gas  container,  the 
bicycle  wheels  of  the  monoplane  resting  on  the 
flat  surface.  And,  so  swiftly  did  the  Red  Cloud 
fly  along  that  it  carried  the  monoplane  with  it, 
to  the  chagrin  of  the  French  navigator. 


WINNING  A  PRIZE  85 

"A  trick!  A  trick!"  he  cried.  "Eet  is  not 
fair!" 

Then,  dropping-  down,  Mr.  Sharp  allowed  the 
monoplane  to  proceed  under  its  own  power,  while 
he  raced  on  to  the  finish  mark,  winning,  of  course, 
by  a  large  margin. 

"Ha!  A  trick!  I  race  you  to-morrow  and 
again  to-morrow!"  cried  the  beaten  Frenchman 
as  he  alighted. 

"No,  thanks,"  answered  Tom.  "We've  had 
enough.  I  guess  charity  will  be  satisfied." 

The  little  Frenchman  was  a  good  loser,  and  paid 
over  the  money,  which  was  given  to  the  Blake- 
ville  Hospital,  the  institution  receiving  it  gladly. 

At  the  request  of  the  carnival  committee,  Mr. 
Sharp  and  Tom  gave  an  exhibition  of  high  and 
long  flights  the  next  day,  and  created  no  little 
astonishment  by  their  daring  feats. 

"Well,  I  think  we  have  reason  to  be  proud  of 
our  ship,"  remarked  Mr.  Sharp  that  night.  "We 
won  the  first  contest  we  were  ever  in,  and  beat 
that  speedy  monoplane,  which  was  no  small  thing 
to  do,  as  they  are  very  fast." 

"But  wait  until  we  go  on  our  trip,"  added  Tom, 
as  he  looked  at  the  cup  they  had  won.  He  little 
realized  what  danger  they  were  to  meet  with  in 
the  flight  that  was  before  them. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  RUNAWAY  AUTO 

HAD  the  inventors  of  the  Red  Cloud  desired, 
they  could  have  made  considerable  money  by 
giving  further  exhibitions  at  the  Blakeville  Aero 
Carnival,  and  at  others  which  were  to  be  held 
in  the  near  future  at  adjoining  cities.  The  fame 
of  the  new  machine  had  spread,  and  there  were 
many  invitations  to  compete  for  prizes. 

But  Tom  and  Mr.  Sharp  wished  to  try  their 
skill  in  a  long  flight,  and  at  the  close  of  the 
Blakeville  exhibition  they  started  for  Shopton, 
arriving  there  without  mishap,  though  Tom  more 
than  half  hoped  that  they  might  happen  to  strike 
the  tower  of  a  certain  school.  I  needn't  specify 
where. 

.  The  first  thing  to  be  done  was  to  complete  the 
fitting-up  of  the  car,  or  cabin.  No  berths  had, 
as  yet,  been  put  in,  and  these  were  first  installed 
after  the  Red  Cloud  was  in  her  shed.  Then  an 
electrical  heating  and  cooking  apparatus  was  fitted 

86 


THE   RUNAWAY   AUTO  87 

in;  some  additional  machinery,  tanks  for  carry* 
ing  water,  and  chemicals  for  making  the  gas, 
boxes  of  provisions,  various  measuring  instru- 
ments and  other  supplies  were  put  in  the  proper 
places,  until  the  cabin  was  filled  almost  to  its  ca- 
pacity. Of  course  particular  attention  had  been 
paid  to  the  ship  proper,  and  every  portion  was 
gone  over  until  Mr.  Sharp  was  sure  it  was  in 
shape  for  a  long  flight. 

"Now  the  question  is,"  he  said  to  Tom  one 
evening,  "who  shall  we  take  with  us  ?  You  and  I 
Aall  go,  of  course,  but  I'd  like  one  more.  I  won- 
ler  if  your  father  can't  be  induced  to  accompany 
as?  He  seemed  to  like  the  trial  trip." 

"I'll  ask  him  to-morrow,"  said  the  lad.  "He's 
very  busy  to-night.  If  he  doesn't  care  about  it, 
maybe  Garret  Jackson  will  go." 

"I'm  afraid  not.    He's  too  timid." 

"I'd  like  to  take  Ned  Newton,  but  he  can't 
get  any  more  time  away  from  the  bank.  I  guess 
we'll  have  to  depend  on  dad." 

But,  to  the  surprise  of  Tom  and  Mr.  Sharp, 
the  aged  inventor  shook  his  head  when  the  sub- 
ject was  broached  to  him  next  day. 

"Why  won't  you  go,  dad?"  asked  his  son. 

"I'll  tell  you,"  replied  Mr.  Swift.  "I  was 
keeping  it  a  secret  until  I  had  made  some  advance 
in  what  I  am  engaged  upon.  But  I  don't  want 


88  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

to  go  because  I  am  on  the  verge  of  perfecting  a 
new  apparatus  for  submarine  boats.  It  will  rev- 
olutionize travel  under  the  water,  and  I  don't 
want  to  leave  home  until  I  finish  it.  There  is 
another  point  to  be  considered.  The  government' 
has  offered  a  prize  for  an  under-water  boat  of  a 
new  type,  and  I  wish  to  try  for  it." 

"So  that's  what  you've  been  working  on,  eh, 
dad?"  asked  his  son. 

"That's  it,  and,  much  as  I  should  like  to  ac- 
company you,  I  don't  feel  free  to  go.  My  mind 
would  be  distracted,  and  I  need  to  concentrate  my- 
self on  this  invention.  It  will  produce  the  most 
wonderful  results,  I'm  sure.  Besides,  the  govern- 
ment prize  is  no  small  one.  It  is  fifty  thousand 
dollars  for  a  successful  boat." 

Mr.  Swift  told  something  more  about  his  sub- 
marine, but,  as  I  expect  to  treat  of  that  in  an- 
other book,  I  will  not  dwell  on  it  here,  as  I  know 
you  are  anxious  to  learn  what  happened  on  the 
trip  of  the  Red  Cloud. 

"Well,"  remarked  Mr.  Sharp,  somewhat  du- 
biously, "I  wonder  who  we  can  get  to  go?  We 
need  someone  besides  you  and  I,  Tom." 

"I  s'pose  I  could  get  Eradicate  Sampson,  and 
his  mule  Boomerange,"  replied  the  lad  with  a 
smile.  "Yet  I  don't  know—" 

At  that  instant  there  was  a  tremendous  racket 


THE   RUNAWAY  AUTO  89 

outside.  The  loud  puffing  of  an  automobile  could 
be  heard,  but  mingled  with  it  was  the  crash  of 
wood,  and  then  the  whole  house  seemed  jarred 
and  shaken. 

"Is  it  an  earthquake  ?"  exclaimed  Mr.  Swift, 
springing  to  his  feet,  and  rushing  to  the  library 
windows. 

"Something's  happened !"  cried  Tom. 

"Maybe  an  explosion  of  the  airship  gas!" 
yelled  Mr.  Sharp,  making  ready  to  run  to  the 
balloon  shed.  But  there  was  no  need.  The  crash- 
ing of  wood  ceased,  and,  above  the  puffing  of 
an  auto  could  be  heard  a  voice  exclaiming: 

"Bless  my  very  existence!  Bless  my  cats  and 
dogs !  Good  gracious !  But  I  never  meant  to  do 
this!" 

Tom,  his  father  and  Mr.  Sharp  rushed  to  the 
long,  low  windows  that  opened  on  the  veranda. 
There,  on  the  porch,  which  it  had  mounted  by 
way  of  the  steps,  tearing  away  part  of  the  rail- 
ing, was  a  large  touring  car;  and,  sitting  at  the 
steering  wheel,  in  a  dazed  sort  of  manner,  was 
Mr.  Wakefield  Damon. 

"Bless  my  shirt  studs!"  he  went  on  feebly. 
"But  I  have  done  it  now !" 

"What's  the  matter?"  cried  Tom,  hastening  up 
to  him.  "What  happened?  Are  you  hurt?" 

"Hurt  ?    Not  a  bit  of  it !    Bless  my  moonstone! 


90  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP  » 

It's  the  most  lucky  escape  I  ever  had!  But  I've 
damaged  your  porch,  and  I  haven't  done  my  ma- 
chine any  good.  Do  you  see  anything  of  another 
machine  chasing  me  ?" 

Tom  looked  puzzled,  but  glanced  up  and  down 
the  road.  Far  down  the  highway  could  be  dis- 
cerned a  cloud  of  dust,  and,  from  the  midst  of 
it  came  a  faint  "chug-chug." 

"Looks  like  an  auto  down  there,"  he  said. 

"Thank  goodness!  Bless  my  trousers,  but  I've 
escaped  'em !"  cried  the  eccentric  man  from  whom 
Tom  had  purchased  his  motor-cycle. 

"Escaped  who?"  asked  Mr.  Swift. 

"Those  men.  They  were  after  me.  But  I  may 
as  well  get  out  and  explain.  Dear  me !  How- 
ever will  I  ever  get  my  car  off  your  porch?"  and 
Mr.  Damon  seemed  quite  distressed. 

"Never  mind,"  answered  Tom.  "We  can  man* 
age  that.  Tell  us  what  happened." 

"Exactly,"  replied  Mr.  Damon,  growing  calm- 
er, "Bless  my  shoe  buttons,  but  I  had  a  fright — 
two  of  them,  in  fact. 

"You  see,"  he  went  on,  "I  was  out  partly  on 
pleasure  and  partly  on  business.  The  pleasure 
consisted  in  riding  in  my  auto,  which  my  physi- 
cian recommended  for  my  health.  The  busi- 
ness consisted  in  bringing  to  the  Shopton  Bank  a 
large  amount  of  cash.  Well,  I  deposited  it  all 


THE   RUNAWAY  AUTO  91 

right,  but,  as  I  came  out  I  saw  some  men  hang- 
ing around.  I  didn't  like  their  looks,  and  I  saw 
them  eyeing  me  rather  sharply.  I  thought  I  had 
seen  them  before  and,  sure  enough  I  had.  Two 
of  the  men  belonged  to  that  Happy  Harry  gang. 
I " 

Tom  made  a  quick  motion  of  a  caution,  pointing 
to  his  father,  but  it  was  not  necessary,  as  Mr. 
Swift  was  absently-mindedly  calculating  on  a 
piece  of  paper  he  had  taken  from  his  pocket,  and 
had  not  heard  what  Mr.  Damon  said.  The  latter, 
however,  knew  what  Tom  meant,  and  went  on. 

"Well,  I  didn't  like  the  looks  of  these  men, 
and  when  I  saw  them  sizing  me  up,  evidently 
thinking  I  had  drawn  money  out  instead  of  put- 
ting it  in,  I  decided  to  give  them  the  slip.  I  got 
in  my  auto,  but  I  was  startled  to  see  them  get 
in  their  car.  I  headed  for  here,  as  I  was  com- 
ing to  pay  you  a  visit,  anyhow,  and  the  myster- 
ious men  kept  after  me.  It  became  a  regular  race. 
I  put  on  all  the  speed  I  could  and  headed  for 
your  house,  Tom,  for  I  thought  you  would  help 
me.  I  went  faster  and  faster,  and  so  did  they. 
They  were  almost  up  to  me,  and  I  was  just  think* 
ing  of  slowing  dowi  to  turn  in  here,  when  I  lost 
control  of  my  machine,  and — well,  I  did  turn  in 
here,  but  not  exactly  as  I  intended.  Bless  my 
gaiters!  I  came  in  with  rather  more  of  a  rush 


92  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

than  I  expected.  It  was  awful — positively  awful, 
I  assure  you.  You've  no  idea  how  nervous  I  was. 
But  I  escaped  those  scoundrels,  for  they  rushed 
on  when  they  saw  what  I  had  done — smashed 
the  porch  railing." 

"Probably  they  thought  you'd  smash  them," 
observed  Torn  with  a  laugh.  "But  why  did  they 
follow  you?" 

"Can't  imagine !  Haven't  the  least  idea.  Bless 
my  spark-plug,  but  they  might  have  imagined  I 
had  money.  Anyhow  I'm  glad  I  escaped  them!" 

"It's  lucky  you  weren't  hurt,"  said  Mr.  Sharp. 

"Oh,  me?  Bless  my  existence!  I'm  always 
having  narrow  escapes."  Mr.  Damon  caught  sight 
of  the  Red  Cloud  which  was  out  in  front  of  the 
big  shed.  "Bless  my  heart!  What's  that?"  he 
added. 

"Our  new  airship,"  answered  Tom  proudly. 
"We  are  just  planning  a  long  trip  in  it,  but  we 
can't  find  a  third  member  of  the  party  to  go 
along." 

"A  third  member!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Damon. 
MDo  you  really  mean  it?" 

"We  do." 

1vBless  my  shoe  laces!  Will  you  take  me 
along?" 

**Do  you  mean  that?"  asked  Tom  in  turn,  fore- 
seeing a  way  out  of  their  difficulties. 


THE   RUNAWAY   AUTO  93 

"I  certainly  do,"  answered  the  eccentric  man. 
"I  am  much  interested  in  airships,  and  I  might  as 
well  die  up  in  the  clouds  as  any  other  way.  Cer- 
tainly I  prefer  it  to  being  smashed  up  in  an  auto. 
Will  you  take  me?" 

"Of  course!"  cried  Tom  heartily,  and  Mr. 
Sharp  nodded  an  assent.  Then  Tom  drew  Mr. 
Damon  to  one  side.  "We'll  arrange  the  trip  in  a 
few  minutes,"  the  lad  said.  "Tell  me  more  about 
those  mysterious  men,  please." 


CHAPTER  X 

A  BAG  OF  TOOLS 

WAKEFIELD  DAMON  glanced  at  Mr.  Swift.  The 
inventor  was  oblivious  to  his  surroundings,  and 
was  busy  figuring  away  on  some  paper.  He  seemed 
even  to  have  forgotten  the  presence  of  the  ec- 
centric autoist. 

"I  don't  want  father  to  hear  about  the  men," 
went  on  Tom,  in  a  low  tone.  "If  he  hears  that 
Happy  Harry  and  his  confederates  are  in  this 
vicinity,  he'll  worry,  and  that  doesn't  agree  with 
him.  But  are  you  sure  the  men  you  saw  are  the 
same  ones  who  stole  the  turbine  model  ?" 

"Very  certain,"  replied  Mr.  Damon.  "I  had 
a  good  view  of  them  as  I  came  from  the  bank, 
and  I  was  surprised  to  see  them,  until  I  remem- 
bered that  they  were  out  of  jail." 

"But  why  do  you  think  they  pursued  you?" 

"Bless  my  eyes!  I  can't  say.  Perhaps  they 
weren't  after  me  at  all.  I  rnay  have  imagined 
it,  but  they  certainly  hurried  off  in  their  auto 

94 


A   BAG   OF   TOOLS  95 

as  soon  as  I  left  the  bank,  after  leaving  my 
money  there.  I'm  glad  I  deposited  it  before  I 
saw  them.  I  was  so  nervous,  as  it  was,  that  I 
couldn't  steer  straight.  It's  too  bad,  the  way  I've 
damaged  your  house." 

"That  doesn't  matter.  But  how  about  the  trip 
in  the  airship?  I  hope  you  meant  it  when  you 
said  you  would  go." 

"Of  course  I  did.  I've  never  traveled  in  the 
air,  but  it  can't  be  much  worse  than  my  experi- 
ence with  my  motor-cycle  and  the  auto.  At  least 
I  can't  run  up  any  stoop,  can  I?"  and  Mr.  Dam- 
on looked  at  Mr.  Sharp. 

"No,"  replied  the  aeronaut,  as  he  scratched  his 
head,  "I  guess  you'll  be  safe  on  that  score.  But 
I  hope  you  won't  get  nervous  when  we  reach  a 
great  height." 

"Oh,  no.  I'll  just  calm  myself  with  the  re- 
flection that  I  can't  die  but  once,"  and  with  this 
philosophical  reflection  Mr.  Damon  went  back 
to  look  at  the  auto,  which  certainly  looked  odd, 
stuck  up  on  the  veranda. 

"Well,  you'd  better  make  arrangements  to  go 
with  us  then,"  went  on  Tom.  "Meanwhile  I'll 
see  to  getting  your  car  down.  You'll  want  to  send 
it  home,  I  suppose?5* 

"No,  not  if  you'll  keep  it  for  me.  The  fact 
is  that  all  my  folks  are  away,  and  will  be  for 


96  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP, 

some  time.  I  don't  have  to  go  home  to  notify 
them,  and  it's  a  good  thing,  as  my  wife  is  very 
nervous,  and  might  object,  if  she  heard  about  the 
airship.  I'll  just  stay  here,  if  you've  no  objection, 
until  the  Red  Cloud  sails,  if  sails  is  the  proper 
term." 

"  'Sails'  will  do  very  well,"  answered  Mr.  Sharp. 
"But,  Tom,  let's  see  if  you  and  I  can't  get  that 
car  down.  Perhaps  Mr.  Damon  would  like  to  go 
in  the  house  and  talk  to  your  father,"  for  Mr. 
Swift  had  left  the  piazza. 

The  eccentric  individual  was  glad  enough  not 
to  be  on  hand  when  his  car  was  eased  down  from 
the  veranda  and  disappeared  into  the  house.  Tom 
and  Mr.  Sharp,  with  the  aid  of  Garret  Jackson, 
then  released  the  auto  from  its  position.  They 
had  to  take  down  the  rest  of  the  broken  railing, 
and  their  task  was  easy  enough.  The  machine 
was  stored  in  a  disused  shed,  and  Mr.  Damon 
had  no  further  concern  until  it  was  time  to  un- 
dertake the  trip  through  the  air. 

"It  will  fool  those  men  if  I  mysteriously  dis- 
appear," he  said,  with  a  smile.  "Bless  my  hat 
band,  but  they'll  wonder  what  became  of  me. 
We'll  just  slip  off  in  the  Red  Cloud,  and  they'll 
never  be  the  wiser." 

"I  don't  know  about  that,"  commented  Tom. 
"I  fancy  they  are  keeping  pretty  close  watch  in 


A  BAG   OF   TOOLS  97 

this  vicinity,  and  I  don't  like  it.  I'm  afraid  they 
are  up  to  some  mischief.  I  should  think  the 
bank  authorities  would  have  them  locked  up  on 
suspicion.  I  think  I'll  telephone  Ned  about  it." 

He  did  so,  and  his  chum,  in  turn,  notified  the 
bank  watchman.  But  the  next  day  it  was  re- 
ported that  no  sign  of  the  men  had  been  seen, 
and,  later  it  was  learned  that  an  auto,  answering 
the  description  of  the  one  they  were  in,  had  been 
seen  going  south,  many  miles  from  Shopton. 

The  work  of  preparing  the  Red  Cloud  for  the 
long  trip  was  all  but  completed.  It  had  been 
placed  back  in  the  shed  while  a  few  more  adjust- 
ments were  made  to  the  machinery. 

"Bless  my  eyelashes !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Damon,  a 
few  days  before  the  one  set  for  the  start,  "but  I 
haven't  asked  where  we  are  bound  for.  Where 
are  we  going,  anyhow,  Mr.  Sharp  ?" 

"We're  going  to  try  and  reach  Atlanta, 
Georgia,"  replied  the  balloonist.  "That  will  make 
a  fairly  long  trip,  and  the  winds  at  this  season 
are  favorable  in  that  direction." 

"That  suits  me  all  right,"  declared  Mr.  Damon. 
"I'm  all  ready  and  anxious  to  start." 

It  was  decided  to  give  the  airship  a  few  more 
trials  around  Shopton  before  setting  out,  to  see 
how  it  behaved  with  the  car  heavier  loaded  than 
usual.  With  this  in  view  a  trip  was  made  to 


98  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

Rocksmond,  with  Mr.  Swift,  Mr.  Damon  and 
Ned,  in  addition  to  Mr.  Sharp  and  Tom,  on  board. 
Then,  at  Tom's  somewhat  blushing  request,  a 
stop  was  made  near  the  Seminary,  and,  when  the 
pupils  came  trooping  out,  the  young  inventor 
asked  Miss  Nestor  if  she  didn't  want  to  take  a  lit- 
tle flight.  She  consented,  and  with  two  pretty 
companions  climbed  rather  hesitatingly  irtfo  the 
car.  No  great  height  was  attained,  but  the  girls 
were  fully  satisfied  and,  after  their  first  alarm 
really  enjoyed  the  spin  in  the  air,  with  Tom 
proudly  presiding  at  the  steering  wheel,  which 
Mr.  Sharp  relinquished  to  the  lad,  for  he  un- 
derstood Tom's  feelings. 

Three  days  later  all  was  in  readiness  for  the 
trip  to  Atlanta.  Mr.  Swift  was  earnestly  invited 
to  undertake  it,  both  Tom  and  Mr.  Sharp  urging 
him,  but  the  veteran  inventor  said  he  must  stay 
at  home,  and  work  on  his  submarine  plans. 

The  evening  before  the  start,  when  the  aeronaut 
and  Tom  were  giving  a  final  inspection  to  the 
craft  in  the  big  shed,  Mr.  Sharp  exclaimed : 

"I  declare  Tom,  I  believe  you'll  have  to  take 
a  run  into  town." 

"What  for?" 

"Why  to  get  that  kit  of  special  tools  I  ordered, 
which  we  might  need  to  make  repairs.  There  are 
some  long-handled  wrenches,  some  spare  levers, 


A   BAG    OF   TOOLS  99 

and  a  couple  of  braces  and  bits.  Harrison,  the 
hardware  dealer,  ordered  them  for  me  from  New 
York,  and  they  were  to  be  ready  this  afternoon, 
but  I  forgot  them.  Take  an  empty  valise  with 
you,  and  you  can  carry  them  on  your  motor- 
cycle. I'm  sorry  to  have  forgotten  it,  but — " 

"That's  all  right,  Mr.  Sharp,  I'd  just  as  soon 
go  as  not.  It  will  make  the  time  pass  more 
quickly.  I'll  start  right  off." 

An  hour  later,  having  received  the  tools,  which 
made  quite  a  bundle,  the  lad  put  them  in  the 
valise,  and  started  back  toward  home.  As  he 
swung  around  the  corner  on  which  the  bank  was 
located — the  same  bank  in  which  Ned  Newton 
worked — one  of  the  valves  on  the  motor-cycle 
began  to  leak.  Tom  dismounted  to  adjust  it,  and 
had  completed  the  work,  being  about  to  ride  on, 
when  down  the  street  came  Andy  Foger  and  Sam 
Snedecker.  They  started  at  the  sight  of  our 
hero. 

"There  he  is  now!"  exclaimed  Sam,  as  if  he 
and  the  red-haired  bully  had  been  speaking  of 
the  young  inventor. 

"Let's  lick  him!"  proposed  Andy.  "Now's 
our  chance  to  get  even  for  throwing  that  paint 
and  soot  on  us." 

Tom  heard  their  words.  He  was  not  afraid 
of  both  the  lads,  for,  though  each  one  matched 


100  TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

him  in  size  and  strength,  Tom  knew  they  were 
cowards. 

"If  you're  looking  for  anything  I  guess  I  can 
accommodate  you/'  he  said,  coolly. 

"Come  on,  Andy,"  urged  Sam.  But,  somehow 
Andy  hung  back.  Perhaps  he  didn't  like  the 
way  Tom  squared  off.  The  young  inventor  had 
let  down  the  rear  brace  of  his  motor-cycle,  and 
was  not  obliged  to  hold  it,  so  he  had  both  hands 
free. 

"We  ought  to  lick  him  good  and  proper," 
growled  the  squint-eyed  lad. 

"Well,  why  don't  you?"  invited  Tom. 

He  moved  to  one  side,  so  as  not  to  be  hampered 
by  his  wheel.  As  he  did  so  he  knocked  from 
the  handle  bars  the  valise  of  tools.  They  fell 
with  a  clatter  and  a  thud  to  the  pavement,  and 
the  satchel  came  open.  It  was  under  a  gas  lamp, 
and  the  glitter  of  the  long-handled  wrenches  and 
other  implements  caught  the  eyes  of  Andy  and 
his  crony. 

"Huh!  If  we  fought  you,  maybe  you'd  use 
some  of  them  on  us,"  sneered  Andy,  glad  of  an 
excuse  not  to  fight. 

Tom  quickly  picked  up  his  valise,  shutting 
it,  but  he  was  aware  of  the  close  scrutiny  of  the 
two  vindictive  lads. 

"I  don't  fight  with  such  things,"  he  said,  some- 


A    BAG    OF    TOOLS  JOI 

what  annoyed,  and  he  hung  the  tools  back  on  the 
handle  bars. 

"What  you  doing  around  the  bank  at  this 
hour?"  asked  Sam,  as  jf  to  change  the  subject. 
"First  thing  you  know  the  watchman  will  order 
you  to  move  on.  He  might  think  you  were  a 
suspicious  character." 

"The  same  to  you,"  retorted  Tom,  "but  I'm 
going  to  ride  on  now,  unless  you  want  to  have 
a  further  argument  with  me." 

"You'd  better  be  careful  how  you  hang  around 
a  bank,"  added  Andy.  "The  police  are  on  the 
lookout  here.  There's  been  some  mysterious  men 
seen  about." 

Tom  did  not  care  to  go  into  that,  and,  seeing 
that  the  two  bullies  had  lost  all  desire  to  attack 
him,  he  put  up  the  brace  and  mounted  his  wheel. 

"Good-by,"  he  called  to  Andy  and  Sam,  as 
he  rode  off,  the  tools  rattling  and  jingling  in  the 
valise,  but  it  was  a  sarcastic  farewell,  and  the  two 
cronies  did  not  reply. 

"I  hope  I  didn't  damage  any  of  the  tools  when 
I  Ir.t  them  fall  that  time,"  mused  the  young  in- 
ventor. "My,  the  way  Sam  and  Andy  stared 
at  them  it  would  make  it  seem  as  if  I  had  a  lot 
of  weapons  in  the  bag!  They  certainly  took 
good  note  of  them." 

The  time  was  to  come,  and  very  shortly,  when 


102  TOM  SWIFT  AND   HIS  AIRSHIP 

Andy's  and  Sam's  observation  of  the  tools  was 
to  prove  disastrous  for  our  hero.  As  Tom  turned 
the  corner  he  looked  back,  and  saw,  still  standing 
in  front  of  the  bank,  the  two  cronies. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  RED  CLOUD  DEPARTS 

"WELL,  clad.  I  wish  you  were  going  along  with 
as,"  said  Tom  to  his  father  next  morning.  "You 
don't  know  what  you're  going  to  miss.  A  fine 
trip  of  several  hundred  miles  through  the  air, 
seeing  strange  sights,  and  experiencing  new  sen- 
sations." 

"Yes,  I  wisH  you  would  reconsider  your  deter- 
mination, and  accompany  us,"  added  Mr.  Damon. 
"I  would  enjoy  your  company." 

"There's  plenty  of  room.  We  can  carry  six 
persons  with  ease,"  said  Mr.  Sharp. 

Mr.  Swift  shook  his  head,  and  smiled. 

"I  have  too  much  work  to  do  here  at  home,'* 
he  replied.  "Perhaps  I  may  astonish  you  with 
something  when  you  come  back.  I  have  nearly 
perfected  my  latest  invention." 

There  was  no  combating  such  a  resolution  as 
this,  and  Tom  and  the  others  considered  the  decis- 
ion of  the  aged  inventor  as  final.  The  airship 
103 


104          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

was  ready  for  the  start,  and  every  one  had  arisen 
earlier  than  usual  on  this  account.  The  bag  of 
tools,  for  which  Tom  had  gone  to  town,  were 
put  in  their  proper  place,  the  last  of  the  supplies 
were  taken  abroad,  final  tests  were  made  of  the 
various  apparatus,  the  motor  had  been  given  a 
trial  spin,  disconnected  from  the  propellers,  and 
then  the  balloonist  announced : 

"Well,  Tom  and  Mr.  Damon,  you  had  better 
begin  to  think  of  starting.  We've  had  breakfast 
here,  but  there's  no  telling  where  we  will  eat 
dinner." 

"Bless  my  soul!  Don't  you  talk  that  way!" 
exclaimed  Mr.  Damon.  "You  make  me  exceed* 
ingly  nervous.  Why  shouldn't  we  know  where 
we  are  going  to  eat  dinner?" 

"Oh,  I  meant  we  couldn't  tell  over  just  what 
part  of  the  United  States  we  would  be  when  din- 
ner time  came,"  explained  the  aeronaut. 

"Oh,  that's  different.  Bless  my  pocket  knife, 
but  I  thought  you  meant  we  might  be  dashed  to 
pieces,  and  incapable  of  eating  any  dinner." 
'  "Hardly,"  remarked  Mr.  Sharp.  "The  Red 
Cloud  is  not  that  kind  of  an  airship,  I  hope.  But 
get  aboard,  if  you  please." 

Tom  and  Mr.  Damon  entered  the  car.  It  was 
resting  on  the  ground,  on  the  small  wheels  used 
to  start  the  airship  when  the  gas  inflation  method 


THE  RED  CLOUD  DEPARTS  105 

was  not  used.  In  this  case,  however,  it  had  been 
decided  to  rise  in  the  air  by  means  of  the  power- 
ful vapor,  and  not  to  use  the  wings  and  planes 
until  another  time.  Consequently  the  ship  was 
swaying  slightly,  and  tugging  at  the  restraining 
cables. 

As  Tom  and  Mr.  Damon  entered  the  cabin 
there  drove  into  the  Swift  yard  a  dilapidated 
wagon,  drawn  by  a  bony  mule,  and  it  did  not 
need  the  addition  of  a  colored  man's  voice,  call- 
ing: "Whoa,  dar,  Boomerang!"  to  tell  Tom 
that  his  friend  Eradicate  Sampson  was  on  hand. 
As  for  Eradicate,  as  soon  as  he  saw  the  great 
airship,  which  he  had  never  before  beheld  fully 
rigged,  all  ready  for  a  flight,  his  eyes  became 
big  with  wonder. 

"Is  dat  yo'  flyin'  machine,  Mistah  Swift?"  he 
asked. 

"That's  it,  Rad,"  answered  Tom.  "  Don't  you 
want  to  come  and  take  a  ride  with  us?" 

"Me  ?  Good  land  a'  massy !  No  indeedy,  Mistah 
Swift,"  and  the  whitewasher,  who  had  descended 
from  his  wagon,  edged  away,  as  if  the  airship 
might  suddenly  put  out  a  pair  of  hands  and  grab 
him.  "No  indeedy  I  doant !  I  come  t'  do  a  little 
whitewashin'  an'  when  I  do  dat  I'se  gwine  on 
mah  way.  But  dat's  a  pow'ful  fine  ship;  it  suah 
am!'f 


106          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

"Better  come  and  try  a  flight,  Rad,"  added  Mr. 
Damon.  "I'll  look  after  you." 

"No,  sah,  an'  I  doan't  take  it  kind  ob  yo*  all 
t'  tempt  me  dat  way,  nuther,"  spoke  Eradicate. 
But,  when  he  saw  that  the  craft  was  stationary, 
he  ventured  to  approach  closer.  Gingerly  he  put 
out  one  hand  and  touched  the  framework  of  the 
wheels,  just  forward  of  the  cabin.  The  negro 
grasped  the  timber,  and  lifted  it  slightly.  To 
his  astonishment  the  whole  front  of  the  airship 
tilted  up,  for  it  was  about  ready  to  fly,  and  a  child 
might  have  lifted  it,  so  buoyant  was  it.  But  Era- 
dicate did  not  know  this.  Wonderingly  he  looked 
at  the  great  bulk  of  the  ship,  looming  above  him, 
then  he  glanced  at  his  arm.  Once  more,  noting 
that  the  attention  of  his  friends  was  elsewhere, 
he  lifted  the  craft.  Then  he  cried : 

"Look  yeah,  Mistah  Swift!  Look  yeah!  No 
wonder  day  calls  me  Sampson.  I  done  lifted  dis 
monstrousness  airship  wif  one  hand.  See,  I  kin 
do  it !  I  kin  do  it'!" 

Once  more  he  raised  the  Red  Cloud  slightly, 
and  a  delighted  grin,  not  unmixed  with  a  look  of 
awe,  spread  over  his  honest  countenance. 

"I  suppose  you'll  give  up  whitewashing  and 
join  a  circus  as  a  strong  man,  now,"  observed 
Mr.  Sharp,  with  a  wink  at  his  companions. 

"Dat's    what    I    will!"    announced    Eradicate 


THE  RED  CLOUD  DEPARTS  107 

proudly.  "I  neber  knowed  I  was  dat  strong,  but 
ob  course  I  allers  knowed  I  had  some  muscle. 
Golly,  I  must  hab  growed  strong  ober  night !  Now, 
Boomerang,  yo'  suah  has  got  t'  look  out  fo'  yo' 
sef.  No  mo*  ob  yo'  cuttin'  up  capers,  or  I'll 
jest  lift  you  up,  an'  sot  yo'  down  on  yo'  back, 
I  suah  will,"  and  the  negro  feeling  of  his  biceps 
walked  over  to  where  the  mule  stood,  with  its 
eyes  closed. 

"I  guess  you  can  cast  off,  Tom,"  called  Mr. 
Sharp,  as  he  entered  the  car,  having  seen  that 
everything  was  all  right.  "We'll  not  go  up  very 
far  at  first,  until  Mr.  Damon  gets  used  to  the  thin 
air." 

"Bless  my  soul,  I  believe  I'm  getting  nervous," 
announced  the  eccentric  man.  "Bless  my  liver, 
but  I  hope  nothing  happens.'5 

"Nothing  will  happen,"  Mr.  Sharp  assured  him. 
"Just  keep  calm,  when  it  feels  as  if  the  bottom 
was  dropping  out  of  everything  and  you'll  soon 
get  over  it.  Are  you  casting  off  those  ropes, 
Tom?  Is  all  clear?" 

"All  but  the  bow  and  stern  lines." 

"You  attend  to  the  bow  line,  and  I'll  go  to  the 
stern,"  and,  going  over  to  the  gas  generator,  Mr. 
Sharp  started  it  so  as  to  force  more  vapor  into 
the  red  aluminum  container.  This  had  the  effect 
of  rendering  the  airship  more  bouyant,  and  it 


108  TOM  SWIFT  AND   HIS  AIRSHIP 

tugged  and  strained  harder  than  ever  at  the 
ropes. 

"Good-by,  Tom,"  called  Mr.  Swift,  reaching  up 
to  shake  hands  with  his  son.  "Drop  me  a  line 
when  you  get  a  chance. 

"Oh,  Tom,  do  be  careful,"  implored  Mrs.  Bag- 
gert,  her  kind  face  showing  her  anxiety.  "May 
I  kiss  you  good-by?" 

"Of  course,"  answered  the  young  inventor, 
though  the  motherly  housekeeper  had  not  done 
this  since  he  was  a  little  chap.  She  had  to  stand 
on  a  soap  box,  which  Eradicate  brought  in  order 
to  reach  Tom's  face,  and,  when  she  had  kissed 
him  she  said : 

"Oh,  I'm  so  worried!  I  just  know  you'll  be 
killed,  risking  your  lives  in  that  terrible  airship !" 

"Ha!  Not  a  very  cheerful  view  to  take, 
madam,"  observed  Mr.  Damon.  "Don't  hold 
that  view,  I  beg  of  you.  Bless  my  eyelashes,  but 
you'll  see  us  coming  home,  covered  with  glory 
and  star  dust." 

"I'm  sure  I  hope  so,"  answered  Mrs.  Baggert, 
laughing  a  little  in  spite  of  herself. 

The  last  ropes  were  cast  off.  Good-bys  were 
shouted  as  the  airship  shot  into  the  air,  and  Mr. 
Sharp  started  the  motor,  to  warm  it  up  before 
the  propellers  were  thrown  into  gear.  The  twenty 
cylinders  began  exploding  with  a  terrific  racket. 


THE  RED  CLOUD  DEPARTS  109 

as  the  muffler  was  open,  and  Tom,  looking  down, 
saw  Boomerang  awaken  with  a  jump.  The  mule 
was  so  frightened  that  he  started  off  on  a  dead 
run,  swinging  the  rickety,  old  wagon  along  be- 
hind him. 

Eradicate  Sampson,  who  had  been  feeling  his 
muscle  since  he  discovered  what  he  thought  was 
his  marvelous  strength,  saw  what  was  happening. 

"Whoa,  dar,  Boomerang!''  he  shouted.  Then, 
as  the  tailboard  of  the  wagon  swung  past  him, 
he  reached  out  and  grabbed  it.  Perhaps  he  thought 
he  could  bring  the  runaway  mule  up  standing^ 
but,  if  he  did,  he  was  grievously  disappointed. 
Boomerang  pulled  his  master  along  the  gravel 
walk,  and  kept  running  in  spite  of  Eradicates 
command  to  "whoa,  dar!" 

It  might  have  gone  hard  with  him,  had  not 
Garret  Jackson,  the  engineer,  running  in  front  of 
Boomerang,  caught  the  animal.  Eradicate  picked 
himself  up,  and  gazed  sadly  at  his  arms.  The 
navigators  of  the  air  could  not  hear  what  he  said, 
but  what  he  thought  was  evident  to  them. 

Then,  as  Mr.  Sharp  deadened  the  explosions  of 
the  powerful  motor.  Tom,  looking  at  a  gauge, 
noted  that  their  height  was  seven  hundred  feet. 

"High  enough!"  called  Mr.  Sharp,  and  it  was 
time,  for  Mr.  Damon,  in  spite  of  his  resolution, 
was  getting  pale. 


HO          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

The  gas  was  shut  off,  the  propellers  thrown 
into  gear,  and,  with  a  rush  the  Red  Cloud  shot 
toward  the  south,  passing  over  the  Swift  home- 
stead, and  high  above  the  heads  of  the  crowd 
that  had  gathered  to  witness  the  start.  The  event- 
ful voyage  of  the  air  had  begun. 


CHAPTER  XII 

SOME  STARTLING  NEWS 

''WELL,  there  they  go,"  remarked  Mrs.  Bag- 
gert  to  Mr.  Swift,  as  she  strained  her  eyes  to- 
ward the  sky,  against  the  blue  of  which  the  air- 
ship was  now  only  a  large,  black  ball. 

"Yes,  and  a  fine  start  they  made,"  replied  the 
inventor.  "I  almost  wish  I  had  accompanied 
them,  but  I  must  not  stop  work  on  my  submarine 
invention." 

"I  do  hope  nothing  will  happen  to  them,"  went 
on  the  housekeeper.  I  declare,  though,  I  feel  just 
as  if  something  was  going  to  happen." 

"Nervousness,  pure  nervousness,"  commented 
Mr.  Swift.  "Better  take  a  little— er— I  suppose 
catnip  tea  would  be  good." 

"Catnip  tea !  The  very  idea !"  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Baggert.  "That  shows  how  much  you  know  about 
nervousness,  Mr.  Swift,"  and  she  seemed  a  little 
indignant. 

"Ha !    Hum !    Well,  maybe  catnip  tea  wouldn't 

112 


112          TOlf  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

be  just  the  thing.  But  don't  worry  about  Tom. 
I'm  sure  he  can  look  after  himself.  As  for  Mr. 
Sharp  he  has  made  too  many  ascensions  to  run 
into  any  unnecessary  danger." 

"Nervous!"  went  on  the  housekeeper,  who 
seemed  to  resent  this  state  being  applied  to  her. 
"I'm  sure  I'm  not  half  as  nervous  as  that  Mr. 
Damon.  He  gives  me  the  fidgets." 

"Of  course.  Well,  I  must  get  back  to  my 
work,"  said  the  inventor.  "Ah,  are  you  hurt, 
Eradicate?"  he  went  on,  as  the  colored  man  came 
back,  driving  Boomerang,  who  had  been  stopped 
just  before  reaching  the  road 

"No,  Mistah  Swift,  I  ain't  exactly  damaged, 
but  mah  feelings  am  suah  hurted." 

"How's  that?" 

"WcD,  I  thought  I  had  growed  strong  in  de 
night,  when  I  lifted  dat  airship,  but  when  I  went 
to  stop  mah  mule  I  couldn't  do  it  He  won't 
hab  no  respect  fo'  me  now." 

"Oh,  I  wouldn't  let  that  worry  me,"  com- 
mented Mr.  Swift,  and  he  explained  to  Eradicate 
how  it  was  that  he  had  so  easily  lifted  the  end  of 
the  bouyant  ship,  which  weighed  very  little  when 
filled  with  gas. 

The  colored  man  proceeded  with  his  work  of 
whitewashing,  the  inventor  was  in  his  library, 
puzzling  over  tables  of  intricate  figures,  and  Mrs. 


SOME  STARTLING  NEWS  113 

Baggert  was  in  the  kitchen,  sighing  occasionally  as 
she  thought  of  Tom,  whom  she  loved  almost  as  a 
son,  high  in  the  air,  when  two  men  came  up  the 
walk,  from  the  street,  and  knocked  at  the  side 
door.  Mrs.  Baggert,  who  answered  the  sum- 
mons, was  somewhat  surprised  to  see  Chief  of 
Police  Simonson  and  Constable  Higby. 

"They  probably  came  to  see  the  airship  start," 
she  thought,  "but  they're  too  late." 

"Ah,  good  morning,  Mrs.  Baggert,"  greeted 
the  chief.  "Is  Mr.  Swift  and  his  son  about  this 
morning?" 

"Mr.  Swift  is  in  his  library,  but  Tom  is  gone." 

"He'll  be  back  though,  won't  he?"  asked  Con- 
stable Higby  quickly — anxiously,  Mrs.  Baggert 
thought. 

"Oh,  yes,"  she  replied.    "He  and—" 

"Just  take  us  to  see  Mr.  Swift,"  interrupted 
the  chief,  with  a  look  of  caution  at  his  aide.  "We'll 
explain  matters  to  him." 

Wondering  what  could  be  the  mission  of  the 
two  officers,  Mrs.  Baggert  led  them  to  the 
library. 

"It's  queer,"  she  thought,  "that  they  don't  ask 
something  about  the  airship.  I  suppose  that  was 
what  they  came  for.  But  maybe  it's  about  the 
mysterious  men  who  robbed  Mr.  Swift." 


114          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

"Ah,  gentlemen,  what  can  I  do  for  you  ?"  asked 
the  inventor,  as  he  rose  to  greet  the  officials. 

"Ahem,  Mr.  Swift.  Ahem — er — that  is — well, 
the  fact  is,  Mr.  Swift,"  stammered  the  chief,  "we 
'have  come  upon  a  very  painful  errand." 

"What's  that  ?"  cried  Tom's  father.  "I  haven't 
Ceen  robbed  again,  have  I  ?" 

"There  has  been  a  robbery  committed,"  spoke 
the  constable  quickly. 

"But  you  are  not  the  victim,"  interposed  the 
chief. 

"I'm  glad  of  that,"  said  Mr.  Swift. 

"Where  is  your  son,  Tom  ?"  asked  the  head  of 
the  Shopton  police  force,  sharply. 

"What  do  you  want  with  him?"  inquired  the 
inventor,  struck  by  some  strange  tone  in  the 
other's  voice. 

"Mr.  Swift,"  went  on  the  chief,  solemnly,  "I 
said  we  came  upon  a  very  painful  errand.  It  is 
painful,  as  I  have  known  Tom  since  he  was  a  lit- 
tle lad.  But  I  must  do  my  duty,  no  matter  how 
painful  it  is.  I  have  a  warrant  for  the  arrest  of 
your  son,  Thomas  Swift,  and  I  have  come  to  serve 
it.  I  need  not  tell  you  that  it  is  your  duty  to  give 
him  up  to  us — the  representatives  of  the  law.  I 
call  upon  you  to  produce  your  son." 

Mr.  Swift  staggered  to  his  feet. 


SOME  STARTLING  NEWS  115 

"My  son!  You  have  come  to  arrest  my  son?" 
hie  stammered. 

The  chief  nodded  grimly. 

"Upon  what  charge?"  faltered  the  father. 

"On  a  charge  of  breaking  into  the  Shopton 
National  Bank  last  night,  and  stealing  from  the 
vault  seventy-five  thousand  dollars  in  currency!" 

"Seventy-five  thousand  dollars!  Tom  accused 
of  robbing  the  bank!"  faltered  Mr.  Swift. 

"That  is  the  charge,  and  we've  come  to  arrest 
him,"  broke  in  Constable  Higby. 

."Where  is  he?"  added  the  chief. 

"This  charge  is  false!  Absolutely  false!" 
shouted  the  aged  inventor. 

"That  may  be,"  admitted  the  chief  shaking  his 
head.  "But  the  charge  has  been  made,  and  we 
hold  the  warrant.  The  courts  will  settle  it.  We 
must  now  arrest  Tom.  Where  is  he?" 

"He  isn't  here!"  cried  Mr.  Swift,  and  small 
blame  to  him  if  there  was  a  note  of  triumph  in 
his  voice.  "Tom  sailed  away  not  half  an  hour 
ago  in  the  airship  Red  Cloud!  You  can't  arrest 
him!" 

"He's  escaped !"  shouted  the  constable.  "I  told 
you,  chief,  that  he  was  a  slippery  customer,  and 
that  we'd  better  come  before  breakfast!" 

"Dry  up!"  commanded  the  chief  testily.  "So 
he's  foiled  us,  eh  ?  Run  away  when  he  knew  we 


Il6          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

were  coming?  I  think  that  looks  like  guilt,  Mr. 
Swift/' 

"Never!"  cried  the  inventor.  "Tom  would 
never  think  of  robbing  the  bank.  Besides,  he 
has  all  the  money  he  wants.  The  charge  is  pre- 
posterous! I  demand  to  be  confronted  with  the 
proof." 

"You  shall  be,"  answered  Chief  Simonson 
vindictively.  "If  you  will  come  to  the  bank  you 
can  see  the  rifled  vault,  and  hear  the  testimony 
of  a  witness  who  saw  your  son  with  burglar 
tools  in  his  possession  last  night  We  also  have 
a  warrant  for  Mr.  Wakefield  Damon.  Do  you 
know  anything  of  him?" 

"He  has  gone  with  my  son  in  the  airship. " 

"Ha !  The  two  criminals  with  their  booty  have 
escaped  together!"  cried  the  chief.  "But  we'll 
nab  them  if  we  have  to  scour  the  whole  country. 
Come  on,  Higby !  Mr.  Swift,  if  you'll  accompany 
me  to  the  bank,  I  think  I  can  give  you  all  the 
proof  you  want,"  and  the  officials,  followed  by 
the  amazed  and  grief-stricken  inventor,  left  the 
house. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

MR.  DAMON  IN  DANGER 

THE  sensations  of  the  voyagers  in  the  airship, 
who  meanwhile,  were  flying  along  over  the  coun- 
try surrounding  Shopton,  were  not  very  different 
than  when  they  had  undertaken  some  trial  flights. 
In  fact  Mr.  Damon  was  a  little  disappointed  after 
they  had  waved  their  farewells  to  Mr.  Swift  and 
Mrs.  Bagger t 

"I  declare  I'm  not  at  all  nervous,"  he  remarked, 
as  he  sat  in  an  easy  chair  in  the  enclosed  car  or 
cabin,  and  looked  down  at  the  earth  through  the 
plate-glass  windows  in  the  floor. 

"I  thought  you'd  be  all  right  once  we  got 
started,"  commented  Mr.  Sharp.  "Do  you  thimc 
you  can  stand  going  a  trifle  higher?" 

"Try  it,"  suggested  the  eccentric  man.  "Bless 
my  watch  chain,  but,  as  I  said,  I  might  as  well  die 
this  way  as  any  other.  Hitting  a  cloud-bank  is 
easier  than  trying  to  climb  a  tree  on  a  motor- 
cycle, eh,  Tom?" 

117 


Il8          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

"Very  much  so,  Mr.  Damon/'  conceded  the 
young  inventor,  with  a  laugh. 

"Oh,  we'll  not  attempt  any  cloud  heights  for 
a  day  or  two,"  went  on  Mr.  Sharp.  "I  want  you 
to  gradually  get  used  to  the  rarefied  atmosphere, 
Mr.  Damon.  Tom  and  I  are  getting  to  be  old 
hands  at  it.  But,  if  you  think  you  can  stand  it, 
I'll  go  up  about  a  thousand  feet  higher." 

"Make  it  two  thousand,  while  you're  at  it/1 
proposed  the  odd  character.  "Might  as  well  take 
a  long  fall  as  a  short  one." 

Accordingly,  the  elevation  rudder  was  used  to 
send  the  Red  Cloud  to  a  greater  height  while  she 
was  still  skimming  along  like  some  great  bird. 
Of  course  the  desired  elevation  could  have  been 
obtained  by  forcing  more  gas  from  the  machine 
into  the  big,  red  container  overhead,  but  it  was 
decided  to  be  as  sparing  of  this  vapor  as  possible, 
since  the  voyagers  did  not  want  to  descend  to  get 
more  material,  in  case  they  used  up  what  they 
had.  It  was  just  as  easy  to  rise  by  properly 
working  the  rudders,  when  the  ship  was  in  mo- 
tion, and  that  was  the  method  now  employed. 

With  the  great  propellers,  fore  and  aft,  making 
about  a  thousand  revolutions  a  minute  the  craft 
slanted  up  toward  the  sky. 

The  ship  was  not  being  run  at  top  speed  as  Mr. 
Sharp  did  not  care  to  force  it,  and  there  was  nc 


MR.  DAMON  IN  DANGER  119 

need  for  haste.  Long  distance,  rather  than  high 
speed  was  being  aimed  at  on  this  first  important 
flight. 

Tom  was  at  the  steering  wheel,  and,  with  his 
hand  on  the  lever  controlling  the  elevation  rudder, 
kept  watch  of  the  face  of  Mr.  .Damon,  occasion- 
ally noting  what  height  the  hand  on  the  gauge 
registered.  He  fancied  he  saw  the  cheeks  of  his 
friend  growing  pale,  and,  when  a  height  of  thirty- 
five  hundred  feet  was  indicated,  with  a  yank  the 
young  inventor  put  the  airship  on  a  level  keel. 

"Are  you  distressed,  Mr.  Damon?"  he  asked. 

"Ye — yes,  I — I  have — some — some  difficulty  in 
breathing,"  was  the  answer. 

Tom  gave  his  friend  the  same  advice  the  aero- 
naut had  given  the  lad  on  his  first  trip,  and  the 
eccentric  man  soon  felt  better. 

"Bless  my  buttons!"  he  ventured  to  explain. 
"But  I  feel  as  if  I  had  lost  several  pounds  of 
flesh,  and  I'm  glad  of  it." 

Mr.  Sharp  was  busy  with  the  motor,  which 
needed  some  slight  adjustments,  and  Tom  was  in 
sole  charge  of  navigating  the  airship.  He  had 
lost  the  nervous  feeling  that  first  possessed  him, 
and  was  becomming  quite  an  expert  at  meeting 
various  currents  of  wind  encountered  in  the  upper 
regions. 

Below,  the  voyagers  could  see  the  earth  spread 


120          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

out  like  a  great  map.  They  could  not  tell  their 
exact  location  now,  but  by  calculating  their  speed, 
which  was  about  thirty  miles  an  hour,  Tom  fig- 
ured out  that  they  were  above  the  town  of  Cen 
treford,  near  where  he  had  been  attacked  onci 
by  the  model  thieves. 

For  several  hours  the  airship  kept  on  her  way, 
maintaining  a  height  of  about  a  mile,  for  when 
it  was  found  that  Mr.  Damon  could  accommo- 
date himself  to  thirty-five  hundred  feet  the  ele- 
vation rudder  was  again  shifted  to  send  the  craft 
upward. 

By  using  glasses  the  travelers  could  see  crowds 
on  the  earth  watching  their  progress  in  the  air, 
and,  though  airships,  dirigible  balloons  and  aero- 
planes are  getting  fairly  common  now,  the  ap- 
pearance of  one  as  novel  and  as  large  as  the  Red 
Cloud  could  always  be  depended  upon  to  attract 
attention. 

"Well,  what  do  you  say  to  something  to  eat?" 
proposed  Mr.  Sharp,  coming  into  the  main  cabin, 
from  the  motor  compartment.  "It's  twelve  o'clock, 
though  we  can't  hear  the  factory  whistles  up 
here." 

"I'm  ready,  any  time  you  are,"  called  Tom, 
from  the  pilot  house.  "Shall  I  cook  grub,  Mr. 
Sharp?" 

"No,  you  manage  the  ship,  and  I'll  play  cook. 


MR.   DAMON  IN  DANGER 

We'll  not  get  a  very  elaborate  meal  this  time,  as 
I  shall  have  to  pay  occasional  visits  to  the  motor, 
which  isn't  running  just  to  suit  me." 

The  electrical  stove  was  set  going,  and  some 
soup  and  beefsteak  from  among  the  stores,  was 
put  on  the  fire.  In  spite  of  the  fact  that  the 
day  was  a  warm  one  in  October,  it  was  quite 
cool  in  the  cabin,  until  the  stove  took  off  the  chill. 
The  temperature  of  the  upper  regions  was  several 
degrees  below  that  of  the  earth.  At  times  the  ship 
passed  through  little  wisps  of  vapor-clouds  in  the 
making. 

"Isn't  this  wonderful !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Damon, 
as  he  sat  in  an  easy  chair,  partaking  of  some  oi 
the  food.  'To  think  that  I  have  lived  to  see  the 
day  when  I  can  take  my  lunch  a  mile  in  the  air, 
with  a  craft  flying  along  like  a  bird.  Bless  my 
knife  and  fork  but  it  certainly  is  wonderful!" 

Mr.  Sharp  relieved  Tom  at  the  wheel,  while 
the  young  inventor  ate,  and  then,  with  the  air- 
ship heading  southwest,  the  speed  was  increased  a 
trifle,  the  balloonist  desiring  to  see  what  the 
motor  could  accomplish  under  a  heavy  load. 

A  drop  of  several  hundred  feet  was  made  about 
an  hour  later,  and,  as  this  made  it  warmer,  Mr. 
Damon,  who  was  a  great  lover  of  fresh  air,  de- 
cided to  go  out  on  th~  pi,  it  form  in  front  of  the 
cabin.  This  platform,  ard  a  similar  one  at  the 


122  TOM   SWIFT  AND   HIS  AIRSHIP 

rear,  was  railed  about,  to  prevent  accidents.  A 
fine  view  could  be  had  from  them  much  better 
than  through  the  floor  windows  of  the  car. 

"Be  careful  of  the  propeller/'  advised  Tom,  as 
his  friend  went  outside.  "I  don't  believe  you're 
tall  enough  to  be  hit  by  the  blades,  but  don't  take 
any  chances  of  standing  on  your  tiptoes." 

'/Bless  my  pocket  handkerchief,  indeed  I'll  not," 
came  the  answer.  "But  I  think  I  shall  wrap  up 
my  throat  in  the  scarf  I  brought  along.  I  am 
subject  to  neuralgia,  and  the  breeze  may  bring 
on  an  attack  of  it." 

Wrapping  a  long,  woolen  scarf  about  his  neck, 
the  eccentric  man  ventured  out  on  the  open  plat- 
form. About  the  middle  of  it,  but  sufficiently 
high  to  be  above  a  person's  head,  was  the  for- 
ward propeller,  whirring  around  at  swift  speed. 

Tom,  with  his  eye  on  the  various  gauges  and 
the  compass,  was  steering  the  airship.  He 
glanced  at  Mr.  Damon,  who  appeared  to  be  en-- 
joying the  view  from  the  platform.  For  an  in- 
stant the  eyes  of  the  lad  were  taken  from  the 
form  of  his  friend.  He  looked  back  suddenly, 
however,  his  attention  attracted  by  a  smothered 
cry.  He  was  horrified  by  what  he  saw. 

Mr.  Damon  was  leaning  far  over  the  edge  of 
the  railing,  with  nothing  between  him  and  the 
earth  a  thousand  feet  below.  He  seemed  to  have 


MR.   DAMON  IN   DANGER  123 

lost  his  balance  and  had  toppled  forward,  being 
doubled  up  on  the  iron  pipe  railing,  his  hands 
hanging  limply  over.  Then,  as  Tom  cried  to  Mr. 
Sharp  to  shut  off  the  motor,  the  lad  saw  that 
hanging  to  the  blade  of  the  propeller,  and  be- 
ing whirled  around  in  its  revolutions,  was  a 
part  of  Mr.  Damon's  red  scarf. 

"Hurry !  Hurry,  Mr.  Sharp !"  yelled  Tom,  not 
daring  to  let  go  the  steering  wheel,  for  fear  the 
ship  would  encounter  a  treacherous  current  and 
tilt.  "Hurry  to  Mr.  Damon!" 

"What's  the  matter?"  asked  the  balloonist. 

"He's  dead — or  unconscious — hanging  over  the 
railing.  He  seems  to  be  slipping!  Hurry,  or 
it  will  be  too  late!" 


CHAPTER  XIV 

ANDY  GIVES  THE  CLUE 

WHEN  Mr.  Swift  followed  the  chief  of  policy 
and  the  constable  to  the  town  hall  his  mind  was 
filled  with  many  thoughts.  All  his  plans  for  rev- 
olutionizing submarine  travel,  were,  of  course, 
forgotten,  and  he  was  only  concerned  with  the 
charge  that  had  been  made  against  his  son.  It 
seemed  incredible,  yet  the  officers  were  not  ones 
to  perpetrate  a  joke.  The  chief  and  constable 
had  driven  from  town  in  a  carriage,  and  they 
now  invited  the  inventor  to  ride  back  with  them. 

"Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  a  warrant  has  actual- 
ly been  sworn  out  against  my  son,  Chief  ?"  askec 
the  father,  when  they  were  near  the  town  hall. 

"That's  just  what  I  mean  to  say,  Mr.  Swift, 
and  I'm  sorry,  on  your  account,  that  I  have  tc 
serve  it" 

"Huh !  Don't  look  like  you  was  goin*  to  serve 
it,"  remarked  the  constable.  "He's  skipped  out." 

"That's  all  right,  Higby,"  went  on  the  chief. 
124 


ANDY   CIVES    THE    CLUE  125 

"I'll  catch  em  both.  Even  if  they  have  escaped 
in  an  airship  with  their  booty,  I'll  nab  'em.  I'll 
have  a  general  alarm  out  all  over  the  country  in 
less  than  an  hour.  They  can't  stay  up  in  the  air 
forever." 

"A  warrant  for  Tom — my  son,"  murmured  Mr, 
Swift,  as  if  he  could  not  believe  it. 

"Yes,  and  for  that  Damon  man,  too,"  added 
the  chief.  "I  want  him  as  well  as  Tom,  and  I'll 
get  'em." 

"Would  you  mind  letting  me  see  the  warrants  ?" 
asked  the  inventor,  and  the  official  passed  them 
over.  The  documents  were  made  out  in  regular 
form,  and  the  complaints  had  been  sworn  to  by 
Isaac  Pendergast,  the  bank  president. 

"I  can't  understand  it,"  went  on  Tom's  father. 
"Seventy-five  thousand  dollars.  It's  incredible! 
Why!"  he  suddenly  exclaimed,  "it  can't  be  true, 
Just  before  he  left,  Mr.  Damon " 

"Yes,  what  did  he  do  ?"  asked  the  chief  eager- 
ly, thinking  he  might  secure  some  valuable  evi- 
dence. 

"I  guess  I'll  say  nothing  until  I  have  seen  the 
bank  president,"  replied  Mr.  Swift,  and  the  of- 
ficial was  obviously  disappointed. 

The  inventor  found  Mr.  Pendergast,  and  some 
other  bank  uncials  in  the  town  hall.  The  finan- 
ciers were  rather  angry  when  they  learned  that 


126          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

the  accused  persons  had  not  been  caught,  but  the 
chief  said  he  would  soon  have  them  in  custody. 

"In  the  meanwhile  will  you  kindly  explain 
what  this  means  ?"  asked  Mr.  Swift  of  the  presi- 
dent. 

"You  may  come  and  look  at  the  looted  vault, 
if  you  like,  Mr.  Swift,"  replied  Mr.  Pender- 
gast.  "It  was  a  very  thorough  job,  and  will  se- 
riously cripple  the  bank." 

There  was  no  doubt  that  the  vault  had  been 
forced  open,  for  the  locks  and  bars  were  bent 
and  twisted  as  if  by  heavy  tools.  Mr.  Swift  made 
a  careful  examination,  and  was  shown  the  money 
drawers  that  had  been  smashed. 

"This  was  the  work  of  experts,"  he  declared. 

"Exactly  what  we  think,"  said  the  president 
"Of  course  we  don't  believe  your  son  was  a 
professional  bank  robber,  Mr.  Swift.  We  have 
a  theory  that  Mr.  Damon  did  the  real  work,  but 
that  Tom  helped  him  with  the  tools  he  had. 
There  is  no  doubt  about  it." 

"What  right  have  you  to  accuse  my  son  ?"  burst 
out  the  aged  inventor.  "Why  have  you  any 
more  cause  to  suspect  him  than  any  other  lad  in 
town  ?  Why  do  you  fix  on  him,  and  Mr.  Damon  ? 
I  demand  to  know." 

"Mr.  Damon's  eccentric  actions  for  a  few  days 
past,  and  his  well-known  oddity  of  character  make 


'ANDY   GIVES   THE   CLUE  127 

him  an  object  of  suspicion,"  declared  the  presi- 
dent in  judicial  tones.  "As  for  Tom,  we  have, 
I  regret  to  say,  even  better  evidence  against  him." 

"But  what  is  it?  What?  Who  gave  you  any 
clues  to  point  to  my  son?" 

"Do  you  really  wish  to  know?" 

"I  certainly  do,"  was  the  sharp  reply.  Mr. 
Swift,  the  police  and  several  bank  officials  were 
now  in  the  president's  office.  The  latter  pressed 
an  electric  bell,  and,  when  a  messenger  answered, 
he  said: 

"Send  young  Foger  here." 

At  the  mention  of  this  name,  Mr.  Swift  started. 
He  well  knew  the  red-haired  bully  was  an  enemy 
of  his  son.  Andy  entered,  walking  rather  proud- 
ly at  the  attention  he  attracted. 

"This  is  Mr.  Swift,"  said  the  president. 

"Aw,  I  know  him,"  blurted  out  Andy. 

"You  will  please  tell  him  what  you  told  us," 
went  on  Mr.  Pendergast. 

"Well,  I  seen  Tom  Swift  hanging  around  this 
bank  with  burglar  tools  in  his  possession  last 
night,  just  before  it  was  robbed,"  exclaimed  the 
squint-eyed  lad  triumphantly. 

"Hanging  around  the  bank  last  night  with  bur- 
gJar  tools?"  repeated  Mr.  Swift,  in  dazed  tones. 

"That's  right,"  from  Andy. 

"How  do  you  know  they  were  burglar  tools  ?" 


128          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

"Because  I  saw  'em!"  cried  Andy.  "He  had 
'em  in  a  valise  on  his  motor-cycle.  He  was  stand- 
ing at  the  corner,  waiting  for  a  chance  to  break 
into  the  bank,  and  when  me  and  Sam  Snedecker 
saw  him,  he  pretended  to  be  fixin'  his  machine. 
Then  the  bag  of  burglar  tools  fell  off,  the  satchel 
came  open,  and  I  seen  'em !  That's  how  I  know." 

"And  you're  sure  they  were  burglar  tools?" 
asked  the  chief,  for  he  depended  on  Andy  to  be 
his  most  important  witness. 

"Sure  I  am.  I  seen  a  picture  of  burglar  tools 
once,  and  the  ones  Tom  had  was  just  like  'em. 
Long-handled  wrenches,  brace  an*  bits,  an*  all. 
He  tried  to  hide  'em,  but  me  an'  Sam  was  too 
quick  for  him.  He  wanted  to  lick  me,  too." 

"No  doubt  you  deserved  it,"  murmured  Mr. 
Swift.  "But  how  do  you  know  my  son  was  wait- 
ing for  a  chance  to  break  into  the  bank?" 

"  'Cause,  wasn't  it  robbed  right  after  he  was 
hangin'  around  here  with  the  burglar  tools?"  in- 
quired Andy,  as  if  that  was  unanswerable. 

"What  were  you  hanging  around  here  for?" 
Mr.  Swift  demanded  quickly. 

"Me?  Oh,  well,  me  an'  Sam  Snedecker  was 
out  takin'  a  walk.  That's  all." 

"You  didn't  want  to  rob  the  bank,  did  you?" 
went  on  the  inventor,  keenly. 


ANDY  GIVES   THE   CLUE  129 

•'Of  course  not/'  roared  the  bully,  indignantly. 
"I  ain't  got  no  burglar  tools." 

Andy  told  more  along  the  same  line,  but  his 
testimony  of  having  seen  Tom  near  the  bank, 
with  a  bag  of  odd  tools  could  not  be  shaken.  In 
fact  it  was  true,  as  far  as  it  went,  but,  of  course, 
the  tools  were  only  those  for  the  airship ;  the  same 
ones  Mr.  Sharp  had  sent  the  lad  after.  Sam 
Snedecker  was  called  in  after  Andy,  and  told 
substantially  the  same  story. 

Mr.  Swift  could  not  understand  it,  for  he 
knew  nothing  of  Tom  being  sent  for  the  tools, 
and  had  not  heard  any  talk  at  home  of  the  bag 
of  implements  ordered  by  the  balloonist.  Still, 
of  course,  he  knew  Tom  had  nothing  to  do  with 
the  robbery,  and  he  knew  his  son  had  been  at 
home  all  the  night  previous.  Still  this  was  rather 
negative  evidence.  But  the  inventor  had  one 
question  yet  to  ask. 

"You  say  you  also  suspect  Mr.  Damon  of  com- 
plicity in  this  affair  ?"  he  went  on,  to  the  chief  of 
police. 

"We  sure  do,"  replied  Mr.  Simonson. 

"Then  can  you  explain?"  proceeded  the  inven- 
tor, "how  it  is  that  Mr.  Damon  has  on  deposit  in 
this  bank  a  large  sum.  Would  he  rob  the  bank 
where  his  own  funds  were  ?" 

"We   are   prepared    for   that,"   declared   the 


130          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

president.  "It  is  true  that  Mr.  Damon  has  aEout 
ten  thousand  dollars  in  our  bank,  but  we  believe 
he  deposited  it  only  as  a  blind,  so  as  to  cover  up 
his  tracks.  It  is  a  deep-laid  scheme,  and  escaping 
in  the  airship  is  part  of  it.  I  am  sorry,  Mr.  Swift, 
that  I  have  to  believe  your  son  and  his  accom- 
plice guilty,  but  I  am  obliged  to.  Chief,  you  had 
better  send  out  a  general  alarm.  The  airship 
ought  to  be  easy  to  trace." 

"I'll  telegraph  at  once,"  said  the  official. 

"And  you  believe  my  son  guilty,  solely  on  the 
testimony  of  these  two  boys,  who,  as  is  well 
known,  are  his  enemies  ?"  asked  Mr.  Swift. 

"The  clue  they  gave  us  is  certainly  most  im- 
portant," said  the  president.  "Andy  came  to  us 
and  told  what  he  had  seen,  as  soon  as  it  became 
known  that  the  bank  had  been  robbed." 

"And  I'm  going  to  get  the  reward  for  giving 
information  of  the  robbers,  too!"  cried  the  bully. 

"I'm  going  to  have  my  share!"  insisted  Sam. 

"Ah,  then  there  is  a  reward  offered?"  inquired 
Mr.  Swift. 

"Five  thousand  dollars,"  answered  Mr.  Pender- 
gast.  "The  directors,  all  of  whom  are  present 
save  Mr.  Foger,  Andy's  father,  met  early  this 
morning,  and  decided  to  offer  that  sum." 

"And  I'm  going  to  get  it,"  announced  the  red- 
haired  lad  again. 


ANDY   GIVES   THE   CLUE  131 

Mr.  Swift  was  much  downcast.  There  seemed 
to  be  nothing  more  to  say,  and,  being  a  man  un- 
versed in  the  ways  of  the  world,  he  did  not  know 
what  to  do.  He  returned  home.  When  Mrs. 
Baggert  was  made  acquainted  with  the  news,  she 
waxed  indignant. 

"Our  Tom  a  thief!"  she  cried.  "Why  don't 
they  accuse  me  and  Mr.  Jackson  and  you?  The 
idea!  You  ought  to  hire  a  lawyer,  Mr.  Swift, 
and  prosecute  those  men  for  slander. " 

"Do  you  think  it  would  be  a  good  plan?" 

"I  certainly  do.  Why  they  have  no  evidence 
at  all!  What  does  that  mean,  sneaking  Andy 
Foger  amoumt  to  ?  Get  a  lawyer,  and  have  Tom's 
interests  looked  after." 

Mr.  Swift,  glad  to  have  some  one  share  the 
responsibility  with,  felt  somewhat  better  when 
a  well-known  Shopton  attorney  assurred  him  that 
the  evidence  against  Tom  was  of  such  a  flimsy 
character  that  it  would  scarcely  hold  in  a  court  of 
justice. 

"But  they  have  warrants  for  him  and  Mr. 
Damon,"  declared  the  inventor. 

"Very  true,  but  it  is  easy  to  swear  out  a  war- 
rant against  any  one.  It's  a  different  matter  to 
prove  a  person  guilty." 

"But  they  can  arrest  my  son." 


132          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

"Yes — if  they  catch  him.  However,  we  can 
soon  have  him  released  on  bail." 

"It's  disgraceful,"  said  Mrs.  Baggert. 

"Not  at  all,  my  dear  madam,  not  at  all.  Good 
and  innocent  persons  have  been  arrested." 

"They  are  going  to  send  out  a  general  alarm 
for  my  son/'  bewailed  Mr.  Swift. 
r-  "Yes,  but  I  fancy  it  will  be  some  time  before 
they  catch  him  and  Mr.  Damon,  if  the  airship 
holds  together.  I  can't  think  of  a  better  way  to 
keep  out  of  the  clutches  of  the  police,  and  their 
silly  charge,"  chuckled  the  lawyer.  "Now  don't 
worry,  Mr.  Swift.  It  will  all  come  out  right. 

The  inventor  tried  to  believe  so,  but,  though  he 
knew  his  son  was  innocent,  it  was  rather  hard  to 
see,  within  the  next  few  days,  big  posters  on  all 
the  vacant  walls  and  fences,  offering  a  reward  of 
five  thousand  dollars  for  the  arrest  of  Tom  Swift 
and  Wakefield  Damon,  who  were  charged  with 
having  flown  away  in  an  airship  with  seventy- 
five  thousand  dollars  of  the  bank's  money. 

"I  guess  Tom  Swift  will  wish  he'd  been  more 
decent  to  me  when  I  collect  that  money  for  his 
arrest,"  said  Andy  to  his  crony,  Sam,  the  day 
the  bills  were  posted. 

"Yes,  but  I  get  my  share,  don't  I  ?"  asked  Sam* 

"Sure,"  answered  the  bully.  "I  wish  they'd 
hurry  up  and  arrest  him." 


ANDY   GIVES   THE   CLUE  133 

Within  the  next  few  days  the  country  was 
covered  with  posters  telling  of  the  robbery  and 
the  reward,  and  police  officials  in  cities  large  and 
small,  and  in  towns  and  villages,  were  notified 
by  telegraph  to  arrest  and  capture,  at  any  cost 
the  occupants  of  a  certain  large,  red  airship. 

Mr.  Swift,  on  the  advice  of  his  lawyer,  sent 
several  telegrams  to  Tom,  apprising  him  of  what 
had  happened.  The  telegraph  company  was  asked 
to  rush  the  telegrams  to  the  first  city  when  word 
tame  in  that  the  Red  Cloud  had  landed. 


CHAPTER  XV 

FIRED  UPON 

TOM'S  excited  call  to  the  aeronaut,  telling  of 
the  mishap  to  Mr.  Damon,  was  answered  im- 
mediately. Mr.  Sharp  jumped  forward  from  the 
motor  compartment,  and,  passing  on  his  way  the 
electric  switch,  he  yanked  it  out,  stopping  the  ma- 
chinery, and  the  great  propellers.  Then  he  leaped 
out  on  the  platform. 

But  something  else  happened.  Just  before  the 
accident  to  the  eccentric  man,  desiring  to  give  a 
further  test  to  the  planes,  the  gas  had  been  shut 
off,  making  the  airship  an  aeroplane  instead  of  a 
dirigible  balloon.  Consequently,  as  soon  as  the 
forward  motion  ceased  the  great  ship  began  fall- 
ing. 

"We're  sinking!  We're  sinking!"  cried  Tom, 
forgetting  for  a  moment  that  he  was  not  in  his 
motor-boat. 

"Slant  your  rudder  up,  and  glide  downward  as 
slowly  as  you  can!"  directed  Mr.  Sharp.  "I'll 
134 


FIRED   UPON  135 

start  the  engine  again  as  soon  as  I  rescue  him," 
for  it  was  risky  to  venture  out  on  the  platform 
with  the  propeller  whirring,  as  the  dangling  piece 
of  scarf  might  whip  around  the  balloonist  and  toss 
him  off. 

Mr.  Sharp  was  soon  at  Mr.  Damon's  side.  He 
saw  that  the  man  was  unconscious,  whether  from 
fright  or  some  injury  could  not  then  be  deter- 
mined. There  was,  however,  no  sign  of  a  wound. 

It  was  no  easy  task  to  carry,  half  dragging  it, 
tKe  heavy  body  of  Mr.  Damon  off  the  platform, 
but  the  aeronaut  was  a  muscular  individual,  and 
long  hanging  from  a  trapeze,  at  great  heights, 
stood  him  in  good  stead. 

He  brought  the  unconscious  man  into  the  cabin, 
and  then,  quickly  returning  to  the  platform,  he 
detached  the  piece  of  scarf  from  the  propeller 
blade.  Next  he  started  the  motor,  and  also  turned 
on  the  gas  tank,  so  that  the  airship,  in  a  few 
minutes,  could  float  in  space  without  motion. 

"You  needn't  steer  now,  Tom,"  said  the  bal- 
loonist. "Just  give  me  a  hand  here." 

"Is — is  he  dead?"  inquired  the  lad,  his  voice 
faltering. 

"No,  his  heart's  beating.  I  can't  understand 
what  happened." 

Mr.  Sharp  was  something  of  a  rough  and  ready 
surgeon  and  doctor,  and  a  small  box  of  medicines 


136          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

had  been  brought  along  in  case  of  emergencies. 
With  the  Red  Cloud  now  lazily  floating  in  the 
air,  for,  once  the  falling  motion  had  been  checked 
by  the  engine,  the  motor  had  been  stopped  again, 
Mr.  Sharp  set  about  restoring  Mr.  Damon  to  con- 
sciousness. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  man  opened  his 
eyes.  The  color  that  had  left  his  cheeks  came 
back,  and,  after  a  drink  of  cold  water  he  was  able 
to  sit  up. 

"Did  I  fall?"  he  asked.  "Bless  my  very  ex- 
istence, but  did  I  tumble  off  the  airship?" 

"No  indeed,"  replied  Tom,  "though  you  came 
pretty  near  it.  How  do  you  feel?  Were  you 
hurt?" 

"Oh,  I'm  all  right  now — just  a  trifle  dizzy. 
But  I  thought  sure  I  was  a  goner  when  I  fell  over 
the  platform  railing,"  and  Mr.  Damon  could  not 
repress  a  shudder.  Mr.  Sharp  administered  some 
more  medicine  and  his  patient  was  soon  able  to 
stand,  and  move  about. 

"How  did  it  happen?"  inquired  the  balloonist. 

"I  hardly  know,"  answered  Mr.  Damon.  "I 
was  out  on  the  platform,  looking  at  the  view,  and 
thinking  how  much  better  my  neuralgia  was,  with 
the  scarf  on.  Suddenly  the  wind  whipped  loose 
one  end  of  the  scarf,  and,  before  I  knew  it  the 
cloth  had  caught  on  the  propeller  blade.  I  was 


x  FIRED   UPON  £37 

blown,  or  drawn  to  one  side,  tossed  against  the 
railing,  which  I  managed  to  grab,  and  then  I 
lost  my  senses.  It's  a  good  thing  I  wasn't  whirled 
around  the  propeller." 

"It's  a  good  thing  you  weren't  tossed  down  to 
the  earth,"  commented  Tom,  shivering  as  he 
thought  of  his  friend's  narrow  escape. 

"I  became  unconscious,  partly  because  the  wind 
was  knocked  from  me  as  I  hit  the  platform  rail- 
ing," went  on  Mr.  Damon,  "and  partly  from 
fright,  I  think.  But  I'm  all  right  now,  and  I'm 
not  going  out  on  that  platform  again  with  a 
loose  scarf  on." 

"I  wouldn't  go  out  at  all  again,  if  I  were  you, 
though,  of  course,  I'm  used  to  dizzy  heights," 
spoke  Mr.  Sharp. 

"Oh,  I'm  not  so  easily  frightened,"  declared 
Mr.  Damon.  "If  I'm  going  to  be  a  balloonist, 
or  an  aeroplanist  I've  got  to  get  used  to  certain 
things.  I'm  all  right  now,"  and  the  plucky  man 
was,  for  the  blow  to  his  side  did  not  amount  to 
much.  It  was  some  time,  however,  before  Tom 
got  over  the  fright  his  friend  had  caused  him. 

They  spent  that  night  moving  slowly  south,  and 
in  the  morning  found  they  had  covered  about  a 
hundred  miles,  not  having  run  the  ship  to  any- 
thing like  its  maximum  speed.  Breakfast  was 
served  above  the  clouds,  for  a  change,  Mr.  Damon 


138          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

finding  that  he  could  stand  the  great  height  with 
comfort. 

It  was  three  days  after  the  start,  and  the  travel- 
ers were  proceeding  slowly  along.  They  were 
totally  unaware,  of  course,  of  the  sensation  which 
their  leaving,  conjointly  with  the  bank  robbery, 
had  caused,  not  only  in  Shopton  but  in  other 
places. 

"We're  over  a  good-sized  city,"  announced 
Tom,  on  the  noon  of  the  third  day.  "Suppose  we 
drop  down,  and  leave  some  message?  Dad  will 
be  anxious  to  hear  from  us." 
'  "Good  idea,"  commented  Mr.  Sharp.  "Down  it 
is.  Shift  the  rudder." 

Tom  proceeded  to  do  so,  and,  while  Mr.  Damon 
relieved  him  at  the  wheel  the  young  inventor  pre- 
pared a  message  to  his  father.  It  was  placed  in 
a  weighted  envelope,  together  with  a  sum  of 
money,  and  the  person  picking  it  up  was  re- 
quested to  send  the  letter  as  a  telegram,  retain- 
ing some  money  for  his  trouble. 

As  the  ship  got  lower  and  lower  over  the  city 
the  usual  crowds  could  be  seen  congregating  in 
the  streets,  pointing  and  gazing  upward. 

"We're  creating  quite  a  stir,"  observed  Tom. 

"More  than  usual,  it  seems,"  added  Mr.  Sharp, 
peering  down.  "I  declare,  there  seems  to  be  a  po- 
lice parade  under  way." 


FIRED   UPON  139 

'That's  right,"  put  in  Mr.  Damon,  for,  look- 
ing down,  a  squad  of  uniformed  officers,  some  on 
horseback,  could  be  seen  hurrying  along  the  main 
street,  trying  to  keep  pace  with  the  airship,  which 
was  moving  slowly. 

"They're  looking  at  us  through  telescopes," 
called  Tom.  "Guess  they  never  saw  a  balloon 
down  this  way." 

Nearer  and  nearer  to  the  city  dropped  the  Red 
Cloud.  Tom  was  about  to  let  go  the  weighted 
envelope,  when,  from  the  midst  of  the  police  came 
several  puffs  of  white  smoke.  It  was  followed  by 
vicious,  zipping  sounds  about  the  cabin  of  the 
ship,  the  windows  of  which  were  open  Then 
came  the  reports  of  several  rifles. 

"They're  firing  at  us !"  yelled  Tom. 

"So  they  are !"  cried  Mr.  Sharp.  "They  must 
be  crazy !  Can't  they  see  that  we're  not  a  bird." 

"Maybe  they  take  us  for  a  war  balloon,"  sug- 
gested Mr.  Damon. 

Another  volley  was  directed  at  the  airship,  and 
several  bullets  struck  the  6ig  aluminum  gas 
holder  glancing  blows. 

"Here!  Quit  that!"  yelled  Tom,  leaning  out 
of  the  window.  "Are  you  crazy?  You'll  dam- 
age us!" 

'They  can't  hear  you,"  called  Mr.  Sharp. 

A  third  volley  was  fired,  and  this  time  several 


140          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

persons  other  than  police  officers  seemed  to  be 
shooting  at  the  airship.  Revolvers  as  well  as 
rifles  were  being  used. 

"We're  got  to  get  out  of  this!"  shouted  Mr. 
Sharp,  as  a  bullet  sang  uncomfortably  close  to  hi3 
head.  "I  can't  imagine  what's  gotten  into  the 
people.  Send  her  up,  Tom !" 

The  lad  quickly  shifted  the  elevation  rudder, 
and  the  Red  Cloud  sailed  majestically  aloft.  The 
young  inventor  had  not  dropped  his  message,  con- 
cluding that  citizens  who  would  fire  on  travelers  of 
the  air  for  no  reason,  would  not  be  likely  to  ac- 
commodate them  in  the  matter  of  sending  mes- 
sages. 

The  craft  mounted  rapidly  upward,  but  before  it 
was  beyond  rifle  shot  another  volley  was  fired, 
one  bullet  sending  some  splinters  flying  from  the 
wooden  framework. 

"Whew!  That  was  a  narrow  escape!"  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Sharp.  "What  in  the  world  can 
those  people  be  up  to,  anyhow?" 


CHAPTER  XVI 

OVER    A    FIERY    FURNACE 

DOWN  below,  the  aeronauts  could  see  the  crowd, 
led  by  the  police,  scurrying  to  and  fro.  Many 
individuals  beside  the  officers  appeared  to  be  hold- 
ing weapons,  and,  from  the  puffs  of  smoke  that 
spurted  out,  it  was  evident  that  more  shots  were 
being  fired.  But  the  bullets  could  do  no  harm, 
and  the  Red  Cloud,  under  the  force  of  the  rapid- 
ly revolving  propellers,  was  soon  beyond  the  cen- 
ter of  the  city. 

"Well,  if  that  isn't  the  limit!"  cried  Tom. 
"They  must  have  taken  us  for  a  German  war  bal- 
loon, about  to  drop  explosives  on  them." 

"Bless  my  liver !"  ejaculated  Mr.  Damon,  "I  be- 
lieve you're  right.  Eh,  Mr.  Sharp?" 

The  veteran  balloonist  took  a  careful  look  over 
the  craft  before  replying.  Then  he  spoke : 

"It  couldn't  be  that,"  and  he  shook  his  head,  as 
if  puzzled.     "They  would  know  no  foreign  air- 
ship would  try  any  trick  like  that.    Beside,  if  by 
141 


142          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

some  remote  possibility  they  did  imagine  it,  there 
Would  be  soldiers  shooting  at  us,  instead  of  the 
police.  As  it  was,  the  whole  population  seemed 
anxious  to  bring  us  down." 

"And  they  nearly  did,"  added  Mr.  Damon.  "If 
they  had  shot  a  few  holes  in  the  gas  bag  where 
would  we  be?" 

"Right  in  the  air,"  answered  the  balloonist. 
"It  would  take  several  volleys  of  bullets  to  dam- 
age our  aluminum  container.  It  is  in  sections  and 
when  one,  or  even  five  compartments,  for  that 
matter,  are  pierced,  there  is  enough  gas  in  the 
others  to  sustain  us.  So  they  could  not  have  dam- 
aged us  much,  even  if  they  had  shot  a  lot  of  holes 
in  us.  Even  without  the  gas  container  we  can 
keep  afloat  by  constantly  moving,  for  the  planes 
will  serve  their  purpose.  Of  course  they  could 
damage  us,  and  maybe  put  some  of  our  machinery 
out  of  business,  and  that  would  be  a  serious 
thing.  But  what  puzzles  me  is  why  they  fired  at 
us  at  all." 

"It  couldn't  be  out  of  pure  mischief ;  could  it  ?" 
asked  the  young  inventor. 

"Hardly.  If  we  were  in  a  savage  country  I 
could  understand  the  natives  firing  at  some  such 
object  as  this  airship,  but  the  people  of  that  city 
must  have  known  what  our  craft  was.  They 
probably  have  read  something  about  it  in  the  news- 


OVER  A   FIERY   FURNACE  143 

papers,  and  to  deliberately  fire  on  us,  with  the 
chance  of  disabling  us,  seems  worse  than  barbar- 


ous." 


"Well,  we  won't  give  'em  another  opportunity,** 
commented  Mr.  Damon. 

"No,  indeed,  not  this  city,  but  who  knows  but 
what  the  example  may  spread  ?  We  may  be  fired 
at  the  next  town  we  sail  over." 

"Then  steer  clear  of  the  towns,"  advised  Tom. 

"Impossible.  We  must  pass  over  some,  but 
I'd  like  to  solve  this  mystery." 

The  day  passed  without  further  incident,  though 
they  did  not  go  low  enough  down  ->ver  any  city 
to  drop  any  messages.  It  was  decided  that  it 
would  not  be  safe. 

"We'll  take  a  chance  at  night,"  suggested  Tom, 
and  that  evening,  approaching  a  good-sized  town 
in  the  dusk,  several  of  the  weighted  envelopes 
were  dropped  overboard.  Doubtless  persons 
walking  along  the  street,  who  were  startled  by 
hearing  something  fall  with  a  "thud"  at  their  feet, 
were  much  startled  to  look  up  and  see,  dimly,  a 
great,  ghostly  shape  moving  in  the  air.  But  there 
was  no  shooting,  and,  eventually,  some  of  the 
messages  reached  Mr.  Swift,  in  Shopton.  But 
he  could  not  answer  them  for  the  airship  kept  on 
the  move. 

The  night  was  spent  floating  in  the  air,  with  the 


144          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

engine  stopped,  and  the  Red  Cloud  floating  lazily 
this  way  and  that  as  the  gentle  winds  shifted, 
for  it  was  calm.  The  "anchorage"  if  such  it  may 
be  called,  was  above  a  sparsely  settled  part  of  the 
country,  and  if  the  lights  of  the  airship  were  seen 
from  below,  the  farmers  doubtless  took  them  for 
some  new  stars  or,  possibly,  a  comet. 

"Now  then  for  a  fast,  straight  run!"  cried 
Tom,  after  breakfast  had  been  served,  and  the 
big  motor,  with  its  twenty  cylinders,  started. 
"We'll  be  able  to  make  the  turn  to-day,  and  then 
make  for  home,  won't  we,  Mr.  Sharp  ?" 

"Well,  we  "ould  do  it,  Tom,"  was  the  answer, 
"but  I  like  this  mode  of  traveling  so  that  I  think 
I'll  lengthen  the  voyage.  Instead  of  turning  at 
Atlanta,  what  do  you  say  to  making  for  Key 
West,  and  then  starting  back  ?  That  will  be  some- 
thing of  a  trip.  The  Red  Cloud  is  behaving  much 
better  than  I  hoped  she  would." 

"I'm  willing  to  go  further  if  Mr.  Damon  is." 

"Oh,  bless  my  shoe  strings,  I'm  game!"  ex- 
claimed the  eccentric  man.  "I  always  did  want  to 
go  to  Key  West,  anyhow." 

The  craft  was  speeding  along  at  a  fast  clip, 
and  dinner  that  day  was  served  about  three  miles 
in  the  air.  Then,  desiring  to  test  the  gliding 
abilities  of  the  airship,  it  was  sent  down  on  a  long 


OVER  A   FIERY  FURNACE  145 

slant,  with  the  propellers  stationary,  the  shifting 
planes  and  rudders  alone  guiding  it. 

As  the  craft  fairly  slid  down  out  of  the  sky, 
like  a  sled  on  a  bank  of  fleecy  snow,  Tom,  who 
was  peering  ahead,  with  his  hand  on  the  steering 
wheel,  cried  out: 

"I  say!  It  looks  as  if  we  were  going  to  run 
into  a  thunder  storm!" 

"How's  that  ?"  inquired  Mr.  Sharp,  poking  his 
head  from  the  motor  compartment. 

"He  says  there's  a  big  storm  ahead,"  repeated 
Mr.  Damon,  "and  I  guess  he's  right.  I  see  a 
big  bank  of  dark  clouds,  and  there  is  a  roaring 
in  the  air." 

Mr.  Sharp,  who  had  been  making  some  ad- 
justments to  the  motor  went  forward  to  take  a 
look.  The  Red  Cloud  was  swiftly  gliding  down- 
ward on  a  slant,  straight  toward  a  dark  mass  of 
vapor,  that  seemed  to  be  rolling  first  one  way,  and 
then  another,  while  as  Mr.  Damon  had  said,  there 
was  a  low  rumbling  proceeding  from  it 

"That  doesn't  seem  to  be  a  thunder  storm," 
spoke  the  balloonist,  with  a  puzzled  air. 

They  all  regarded  the  dark  mass  of  vapor  in- 
tently for  a  few  seconds.  Tom  had  brought  the 
airship  to  a  more  level  keel,  and  it  was  now  spin- 
ning along  under  its  own  momentum,  like  a  flat 
piece  of  tin,  scaled  by  some  lead.  But  it  was 


146          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

Headed  for  the  clouds,  if  such  they  were,  thougK 
losing  speed  by  degrees. 

"I'll  have  to  start  the  motor!"  exclaimed  Mr. 
Sharp.  "We  don't  want  to  run  into  a  storm,  if 
we  can  help  it,  though  I  don't  ever  remember 
seeing  a  thunder  disturbance  like  that." 

"Whew!  It's  getting  warm/'  suddenly  an- 
nounced the  youth,  and  he  let  go  of  the  steering 
wheel  for  a  moment,  while  he  took  off  his  coat. 

"That's  what  it  is,"  agreed  Mr.  Damon,  who 
also  divested  himself  of  his  garments.  "Bless 
my  spark  plug,  but  it's  like  a  July  day.  No  won- 
der there's  a  thunderstorm  ahead." 

Then  Mr.  Sharp  uttered  a  cry. 

"That's  no  storm !"  he  fairly  shouted.  "It's  a 
big  forest  fire !  That's  smoke  we  see !  We  must 
gtt  out  of  this.  Turn  around  Tom,  while  I  start 
the  engine.  We  must  rise  above  it !" 

He  fairly  leaped  for  the  motor,  and  Tom  and 
Mr.  Damon  could  hear  him  turning  the  levers 
and  wheels,  ready  to  start.  But  before  the  ex- 
plosions came  something  happened.  There  was  a 
sound  as  of  some  great,  siren  whistle  blowing,  and 
then,  with  a  howl  of  the  on  rushing  air,  the  Red 
Cloud,  the  propellers  of  which  hung  motionless  on 
their  shafts,  was  fairly  sucked  forward  toward 
the  fire,  as  the  current  sucks  a  boat  over  a  water 
fall. 


OVER  A   FIERY  FURNACE  147 

"Start  the  motor !  Start  the  motor,  Mr.  Sharp !" 
cried  Tom. 

"I'm  trying  to,  but  something  seems  to  be  the 
matter." 

"We're  being  drawn  right  over  the  fire !"  yelled 
Mr.  Damon.  "It's  getting  hotter  every  minute! 
Can't  you  do  something?" 

"You  take  the  wheel,"  called  the  balloonist  to 
Mr.  Damon.  "Steer  around,  just  as  if  it  was  an 
auto  when  we  start  the  engine.  Tom,  come  here 
and  give  me  a  hand.  The  motor  has  jammed !" 

The  young  inventor  sprang  to  obey.  Mr.  Da- 
mon, his  face  showing  some  of  the  fear  he  felt, 
grasped  the  steering  wheel.  The  airship  was  now 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  high,  but  instead  of  rest- 
ing motionless  in  the  air,  sustained  by  the  gas  in 
the  container,  she  was  being  pulled  forward,  right 
toward  the  heart  of  the  mass  of  black  vapor, 
which  it  could  now  be  seen  was  streaked  with 
bright  tongues  of  flame. 

"What's  making  us  go  ahead,  if  the  motor  isn't 
going  ?"  asked  Tom,  as  he  bent  over  the  machine, 
at  which  the  aeronaut  was  laboring. 

"Suction — draught  from  the  fire!"  explained 
Mr.  Sharp.  "Heated  air  rises  and  leaves  a  vacuum. 
The  cold  air  rushes  in.  It's  carrying  us  with  it. 
We'll  be  right  in  the  fire  in  a  few  minutes,  if  we 


148          TOM  SWIFT  "AND  "HIS  'AIRSHIP 

can't  get  started  witK  this  motor!  I  don't  see 
what  ails  it." 

"Can't  we  steer  to  one  side,  as  it  is  ?" 

"No.  We're  right  in  a  powerful  current  of  air, 
and  steering  won't  do  any  good,  until  we  have 
some  motion  of  our  own.  Turn  the  gasolene 
lever  on  a  little  more,  and  see  if  you  can  get  a 
spark." 

Tom  did  so,  but  no  explosion  resulted.  The 
twenty  cylinders  of  the  big  engine  remained  mute. 
The  airship,  meanwhile,  was  gathering  speed, 
sucked  onward  and  downward  as  it  was  by  the 
draught  from  the  fire.  The  roaring  was  plainer 
now,  and  the  crackling  of  the  flames  could  be 
heard  plainly.  The  heat,  too,  grew  more  in- 
tense. 

Frantically  Tom  and  Mr.  Sharp  labored  over 
the  motor.  With  the  perverseness  usual  to  gas 
engines,  it  had  refused  to  work  at  a  critical  mo- 
ment. 

"What  shall  I  do?"  cried  Mr.  Damon  from  his 
position  \n  the  pilot  house.  "We  seem  to  be 
heading  right  for  the  midst  of  it?" 

"Slant  the  elevation  rudder,"  called  Tom.  "Send 
the  ship  up.  It  will  be  cooler  the  higher  we  go. 
Maybe  we  can  float  over  it !" 

"You'd  better  go  out  there,"  advised  Mr.  Sharp. 
"I'll  keep  at  this  motor.  Go  up  as  high  as  you 


OVER  A   FIERY  FURNACE  149 

can.  Turn  on  more  gas.  That  will  elevate  us, 
but  maybe  not  quick  enough.  The  gas  doesn't 
generate  well  in  great  heat.  I'm  afraid  we're 
in  for  it,"  he  added  grimly. 

Tom  sprang  to  relieve  Mr.  Damon.  The  heat 
was  now  intense.  Nearer  and  nearer  came  the 
Red  Cloud  to  the  blazing  forest,  which  seemed  to 
cover  several  square  miles.  Great  masses  of 
smoke,  with  huge  pieces  of  charred  and  blazing 
wood  carried  up  by  the  great  draught,  circled 
around  the  ship.  The  Red  Cloud  was  being  pulled 
into  the  midst  of  the  fire  by  the  strong  suction, 
Tom  yanked  over  the  elevation  rudder,  and  the 
nose  of  the  craft  pointed  upward.  But  it  still 
moved  downward,  and,  a  moment  later  the  travel- 
ers of  the  air  felt  as  if  they  were  over  a  fiery  fur- 
nace. 


CHAPTER  XVII 
"WANTED — FOR  ROBBERY  !" 

CHOKING  and  gasping  for  breath,  feeling  as  it 
they  could  not  stand  the  intense  heat  more  than 
a  moment  longer,  the  young  inventor  and  his  com- 
panions looked  at  each  other.  Death  seemed  ready 
to  reach  out  and  grasp  them.  The  mass  of  heated 
air  was  so  powerful  that  it  swung  and  tossed  the 
Red  Cloud  about  as  if  it  were  a  wisp  of  paper. 

"We  must  do  something!"  cried  Mr.  Damon, 
beginning  to  take  off  his  collar  and  vest.  "I'm 
choking !" 

"Lie  down  in  the  bottom  of  the  car,"  suggested 
Mr.  Sharp.  "The  smoke  won't  trouble  you  so 
much  there." 

The  eccentric  man,  too  startled,  now,  to  use  any 
of  his  "blessing"  expressions,  did  so. 

"Can't  you  start  the  motor?"  asked  Tom  franti- 
cally, as  he  stuck  to  his  post,  with  his  hand  on  the 
steering  wheel,  the  elevation  lever  jammed  back 
as  far  as  it  would  go. 

150 


"WANTED— FOR  ROBBERY!"  151 

"I've  done  my  best,"  answered  the  balloonist, 
gasping  as  he  swallowed  some  smoke.  "I'm  afraid 
— afraid  it's  all  up  with  us.  We  should  have 
steered  clear  of  this  from  the  first.  My,  how  it 
roars!" 

The  crackling  and  snapping  of  the  flames  below 
them,  as  they  fed  on  the  dry  wood,  which  no  rain 
had  wet  for  weeks,  was  like  the  rush  of  some  great 
cataract.  Up  swirled  the  dark  smoke-clouds, 
growing  hotter  and  hotter  all  the  while  as  the 
craft  came  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  center  of  the 
conflagration. 

"We  must  rise  higher!"  cried  Tom.  "It's 
our  only  chance.  Turn  on  the  gas  machine  full 
power,  and  fill  the  container.  That  will  carry 
us  up!" 

"Yes,  it's  our  only  hope,"  muttered  Mr.  Sharp. 
"We  must  go  up,  but  the  trouble  is  the  gas  doesn't 
generate  so  fast  when  there's  too  much  heat. 
We're  bound  to  have  to  stay  over  this  fiery  pit 
for  some  time  yet." 

"We're  going  up  a  little !"  spoke  Tom  hopeful- 
ly, as  he  glanced  at  a  gauge  near  him.  "We're 
ifteen  hundred  feet  now,  and  we  were  only 
:welve  a  while  ago." 

"Good !  Keep  the  elevation  rudder  as  it  is,  and 
I'll  see  what  I  can  do  with  the  gas,"  advisee!  the 
balloonist.  "It's  our  only  hope,"  and  he  hurried 


152          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

into  the  engine  room,  which,  like  the  other  parts 
of  the  cabin,  was  now  murky  with  choking  vapor 
and  soot. 

Suddenly  the  elevation  gauge  showed  that  they 
were  falling.  The  airship  was  going  down. 

"What's  the  matter?"  called  Mr.  Damon,  from 
the  cabin  floor. 

"I  don't  know,"  answered  Tom,  "unless  the 
rudder  has  broken." 

He  peered  through  the  haze.  No,  the  big  eleva- 
tion rudder  was  still  in  place,  but  it  seemed  to 
have  no  effect  on  the  ship. 

"It's  a  down  draught!"  cried  Mr.  Sharp.  "We're 
being  sucked  down.  It  won't  last  but  a  few  sec- 
onds. I've  been  in  'em  before." 

He  seemed  to  have  guessed  rightly,  for,  the 
next  instant  the  airship  was  shooting  upward 
again,  and  relief  came  to  the  aeronauts,  though  it 
was  not  much,  for  the  heat  was  almost  unbearable, 
and  they  had  taken  off  nearly  all  their  clothing. 

"Lighten  ship!"  sung  out  Mr.  Sharp.  "Toss 
over  all  the  things  you  think  we  can  spare,  Tom. 
Some  of  the  cases  of  provisions!  We  can  get 
more — if  we  need  'em.  We  must  rise,  and  the 
gas  isn't  generating  fast  enough !" 

There  was  no  need  for  the  young  inventor  at 
the  steering  wheel  now,  for  the  craft  simply  could 
not  be  guided.  It  was  swirled  about,  now  this 


"WANTED— FOR  ROBBERY!"  153 

way,  now  that,  by  the  currents  of  heated  air.  At 
times  it  would  rise  a  considerable  distance,  only 
to  be  pulled  down  again,  and,  just  before  Tom 
began  to  toss  overboard  some  boxes  of  food,  it 
seemed  that  the  end  had  come,  for  the  craft  went 
down  so  low  that  the  upward  leaping  tongues  of 
flame  almost  reached  the  lower  frame. 

"I'll  help  you/'  gasped  Mr.  Damon,  and  while 
he  and  Tom  tossed  from  the  cabin  windows  some 
of  their  stores,  Mr.  Sharp  was  frantically  endeav- 
oring to  make  the  gas  generate  faster. 

It  was  slow  work,  but  with  the  lightening  of 
the  ship  their  situation  improved.  Slowly,  so 
slowly  that  it  seemed  an  age,  the  elevation  pointer 
went  higher  and  higher  on  the  dial. 

"Sixteen  hundred  feet !"  sung  out  Tom,  pausing 
for  a  look  at  the  gauge.  "That's  the  best  yet !" 

The  heat  was  felt  less,  now,  and  every  minute 
was  improving  their  situation.  Slowly  the  hand 
moved.  The  gas  was  being  made  in  larger  quan- 
tities now  that  the  heat  was  less.  Ten  minutes 
more  of  agony,  and  their  danger  was  over.  They 
were  still  above  the  burning  area,  but  sufficiently 
high  so  that  only  stray  wisps  of  smoke  enveloped 
them. 

"Whew !  But  that  was  the  worst  ever !"  cried 
Tom,  as  he  sank  exhausted  on  a  bench,  and  wiped 


154          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

his  perspiring  face.     "We  sure  were  in  a  bad 
way!" 

"I  should  say  so,"  agreed  Mr.  Sharp.  "And  if 
we  don't  get  a  breeze  we  may  have  to  stay  here 
for  some  time." 

"Why,  can't  you  get  that  motor  to  work  yet?" 
asked  Mr.  Damon.  "Bless  my  gaiters,  but  I'm 
all  in,  as  the  boys  say." 

"I'll  have  another  try  at  the  machine  now," 
replied  Mr.  Sharp.  "Probably  it  will  work  now, 
after  we're  out  of  danger  without  the  aid  of  it." 

His  guess  proved  correct,  for,  in  a  few  min- 
utes, with  the  aid  of  Tom,  the  motor  started,  the 
propellers  revolved,  and  the  Red  Cloud  was  sent 
swiftly  out  of  the  fire  zone. 

"Now  we'd  better  take  account  of  ourselves, 
our  provisions,  and  the  ship,"  said  Mr.  Sharp, 
when  they  had  flown  about  twenty  miles,  and 
were  much  refreshed  by  the  cooler  atmosphere. 
"I  don't  believe  the  craft  is  damaged  any,  excep* 
some  of  the  braces  may  be  warped  by  the  heat 
As  for  the  provisions,  you  threw  over  a  lot ;  didn't 
you,  Tom  ?" 

"Well,  I  had  to." 

"*Yes,  I  guess  you  did.  Well,  we'll  make  a 
landing." 

you  think  it  will  be  safe?"  asked  Mr. 


"WANTED— FOR  ROBBERY!"  155 

Damon  anxiously.  "We  might  be  fired  upon 
again." 

"Oh,  there's  no  danger  of  that.  But  I'll  take 
precautions.  I  don't  want  a  big  crowd  around 
when  we  come  down,  so  we'll  pick  out  a  secluded 
place  and  land  just  at  dusk.  Then  in  the 
morning  we  can  look  over  the  ship,  and  go  to 
the  nearest  town  to  buy  provisions.  After  that 
we  can  continue  our  journey,  and  we'll  steer  clear 
of  forest  fires  after  this." 

"And  people  who  shoot  at  us,"  added  Mr. 
Damon. 

"Yes.  I  wish  I  knew  what  that  was  done  for," 
and  once  again  came  that  puzzled  look  to  the  face 
of  the  balloonist. 

The  airship  gently  descended  that  evening  in 
a  large  level  field,  a  good  landing  being  made. 
Just  before  the  descent  Tom  took  an  observation 
and  located,  about  two  miles  from  the  spot  they 
selected  for  an  "anchorage,"  a  good-sized  vil- 
lage. 

"We  can  get  provisions  there,"  he  announced. 

"Yes,  but  we  must  not  let  it  be  known  what 
they  are  for,"  said  Mr.  Sharp,  "or  we'll  have  the 
whole  population  out  here.  I  think  this  will  be  a 
good  plan:  Tom,  you  and  Mr.  Damon  go  into 
town  and  buy  the  things  we  need.  I'll  stay  here 
with  the  airship,  and  look  it  all  over.  You  can 


156          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

arrange  to  have  the  stuff  carted  out  here  in  the 
morning,  and  left  at  a  point  say  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  away.  Then  we  can  carry  it  to  the 
ship.  In  that  way  no  one  will  discover  us,  and 
we'll  not  be  bothered  with  curiosity-seekers." 

This  was  voted  a  good  idea,  and,  when  the  land- 
ing had  been  made,  and  a  hasty  examination 
showed  that  the  ship  had  suffered  no  great  dam- 
age from  the  passage  over  the  fire,  the  young 
inventor  and  Mr.  Damon  started  off. 

They  soon  found  a  good  road,  leading  to  town, 
and  tramped  along  it  in  the  early  evening.  The 
few  persons  they  met  paid  little  attention  to  them, 
save  to  bow  in  a  friendly  fashion,  and,  occasional- 
ly wish  them  good  evening. 

"I  wonder  where  we  are  ?"  asked  Tom,  as  they 
hurried  along. 

"In  some  southern  town,  to  judge  by  the  voices 
of  the  people,  and  the  number  of  colored  individ* 
uals  we've  met,"  answered  Mr.  Damon. 

"Let's  ask,"  suggested  Tom. 

"No,  if  you  do  they'll  know  we're  strangers, 
and  they  may  ask  a  lot  of  questions." 

"Oh,  I  guess  if  it's  a  small  place  they'll  know 
we're  strangers  soon  enough,"  commented  Tom. 
"But  when  we  get  to  the  village  itself  we  can 
read  the  name  on  the  store  windows." 

A  few  minutes  later  found  them  in  the  midst 


'WANTED— FOR  ROBBERY!"  157 

of  a  typical  southern  town.     It  was  Berneau, 

North  Carolina,  according  to  the  signs,  they  saw. 

"Here's  a  restaurant,"   called  Tom,   as  they 

passed  a  neat-appearing  one.     "Let's  go  inside 

and  get  some  supper  before  we  buy  our  supplies." 

"Good!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Damon.     "Bless  my 

flapjacks,  but  I  am  beginning  to  feel  hungry." 

The,  eating  place  was  a  good  one,  and  Tom's 
predictions  about  their  being  taken  for  strangers 
was  verified,  for,  no  sooner  had  they  given 
their  orders  than  the  pretty,  white  girl,  who  waited 
on  the  table  remarked : 

"Ah  reckon  yo'  all  are  from  th'  no'th;  aren't 
yo'?" 

She  smiled,  as  she  spoke,  and  Tom  smiled  back 
as  he  acknowledged  it. 

"Have  you  a  paper — a  newspaper  I  could  look 
at?"  he  asked. 

"Ah  guess  Ah  can  find  one,"  went  on  the  girl. 
"Ah  reckon  yo'  all  are  from  N'  York.  N'  York- 
ers are  so  desperant  bent  on  readin'  th'  news." 
Her  tones  were  almost  like  those  of  a  colored 
person. 

"Yes,  we're  from  a  part  of  New  York,"  was 
Tom's  reply. 

When  a  newspaper  was  brought  to  him,  after 
they  had  nearly  finished  their  meal,  the  young  in- 
ventor rapidly  scanned  the  pages.  Something  on 


158          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

the  front  sheet,  under  a  heading  of  big,  black 
type  caught  his  eye.    He  started  as  he  read  it : 


WANTED  FOR  ROBBERY! 

BANK  LOOTERS  ESCAPE  IN  RED  AIRSHIP FIRED  AT 

BUT   DISAPPEAR 

• 

"Great  Jehosophat !"  exclaimed  Tom,  in  a  low 
voice.  "What  on  earth  can  this  mean?" 

"What?"  inquired  Mr.  Damon.  "Has  any- 
thing happened  ?" 

"Happened  ?  I  should  say  there  had,"  was  the 
answer.  "Why,  we're  accused  of  having  robbed 
the  Shopton  Bank  of  seventy-five  thousand  dol- 
lars the  night  before  we  left,  and  to  have  taken 
it  away  in  the  Red  Cloud.  There's  a  general  alarm 
out  for  us !  Why  this  is  awful !" 

"It's  preposterous!"  burst  out  Mr.  Damon. 
"I'l  have  my  lawyers  sue  this  paper.  Bless  my 
stocks  and  bonds,  I !" 

"Hush !  Not  so  loud,"  cautioned  Tom,  for  the 
pretty  waitress  was  watching  them  curiously. 
"Here,  read  this,  and  then  we'll  decide  what  to  do. 
But  one  thing  is  certain,  we  must  go  back  to 
Shopton  at  once  to  clear  ourselves  of  this  ac- 
cusation." 


"WANTED— FOR  ROBBERY!"  159 

"Ha!"  murmured  Mr.  Damon,  as  he  read  the 
article  rapidly.  "Now  I  know  why  they  fired  at 
us.  They  hoped  to  bring  us  down,  capture  us, 
and  get  the  five  thousand  dollars  reward  i** 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

BACK  FOR  VINDICATION 

TOM  glanced  around  the  restaurant.  There 
were  few  persons  in  it  save  himself  and  Mr. 
Damon.  The  pretty  waitress  was  still  regarding 
the  two  curiously. 

"We  ought  to  take  that  paper  along  with  us, 
to  show  to  Mr.  Sharp,"  said  Tom,  in  a  low  voice 
to  his  friend.  "I  haven't  had  time  to  take  it  all 
in  myself,  yet.  Let's  go.  I've  had  enough  to 
eat;  haven't  you?" 

"Yes.     My  appetite  is  gone  now." 

As  they  arose,  to  pay  their  checks  the  girl  ad- 
vanced. 

"Can  you  tell  me  where  I  can  get  a  copy  of 
this  paper?"  asked  Tom,  as  he  laid  down  a  gen- 
erous tip  on  the  table,  for  the  girl.  Her  eyes 
opened  rather  wide. 

"Yo'  all  are  fo'gettin'  some  of  yo'  money."  she 
said,  in  her  broad,  southern  tones.  Tom  thought 
160 


BACK  FOR   VINDICATION  161 

her  the  prettiest  girl  he  ever  seen,  excepting  Mary 
Nestor. 

"Oh,  that's  for  you,"  replied  the  young  inven- 
tor. "It's  a  tip.  Aren't  you  in  the  habit  of 
getting  them  down  here?" 

"Not  very  often.  Thank  yo'  all.  But  what 
did  yo'  all  ask  about  that  paper  ?" 

"I  asked  where  I  could  get  a  copy  of  it.  There 
is  something  in  it  that  interests  me." 

"Yes,  an'  Ah  reckon  Ah  knows  what  it  is," 
exclaimed  the  girl.  "It's  about  that  airship  with 
th'  robbers  in  it!" 

"How  do  you  know?"  inquired  Tom  quickly, 
and  he  tried  to  seem  cool,  though  he  felt  the  hot 
blood  mounting  to  his  cheeks. 

"Oh,  Ah  saw  yo'  all  readin'  it.  Everybody 
down  heah  is  crazy  about  it.  We  all  think  th' 
ship  is  comin'  down  this  way,  'cause  it  says  th' 
robbers  was  intendin'  to  start  south  befo'  they 
robbed  th'  bank.  Ah  wish  Ah  could  collect  thet 
five  thousand  dollars.  If  Ah  could  see  that  air- 
ship, I  wouldn't  work  no  mo'  in  this  eatin'  place. 
What  do  yo'  all  reckon  thet  airship  looks  like?" 
and  the  girl  gazed  intently  at  Tom  and  Mr. 
Damon. 

"Why,  bless  my — "  began  the  eccentric  man, 
but  Tom  broke  in  hurriedly : 

"Oh,  I  guess  it  looks  like  most  any  other  air- 


162          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

ship,"  for  he  feared  that  if  his  companion  used 
any  of  his  odd  expressions  he  might  be  recognized, 
since  our  hero  had  not  had  time  to  read  the  article 
in  the  paper  through,  and  was  not  sure  whether 
or  not  a  description  of  himself,  Mr.  Damon  and 
Mr.  Sharp  was  given. 

"Well,  Ah  suah  wish  I  could  collect  thet  re- 
ward," went  on  the  girl.  "Everybody  is  on  thr 
lookout.  Yo'  all  ain't  see  th'  airship;  have  yo' 
all?" 

"Where  can  we  get  a  paper  like  this?"  asked 
Tom,  again,  not  wanting  to  answer  such  a  lead- 
ing question. 

"Why,  yo'  all  is  suah  welcome  to  that  one," 
was  the  reply.  "Ah  guess  Ah  can  affo'd  to  give 
it  to  yo'  all,  after  th'  generous  way  yo'  all  be- 
haved to  me.  Take  it,  an'  welcome.  But  are  yo' 
all  suah  yo'  are  done  eatin'  ?  Yo'  all  left  lots." 

"Oh,  we  had  enough,"  replied  Tom  hurriedly. 
His  sole  aim  now  was  to  get  away — to  consult 
with  Mr.  Sharp,  and  he  needed  the  paper  to  learn 
further  details  of  the  astonishing  news.  He  and 
his  friends  accused  of  looting  the  bank,  and  tak- 
ing away  seventy-five  thousand  dollars  in  the  air- 
ship !  It  was  incredible !  A  reward  of  five  thou- 
sand dollars  offered  for  their  capture!  They 
might  be  arrested  any  minute,  yet  they  could  not 


BACK  FOR   VINDICATION  163 

go  on  without  buying  some  provisions.  What 
were  they  to  do  ? 

Once  outside  the  restaurant,  Mr.  Damon  and 
Tom  walked  swiftly  on.  They  came  to  a  corner 
where  there  was  a  street  lamp,  and  there  the  young 
inventor  paused  to  scan  the  paper  again.  It  was 
the  copy  of  a  journal  published  in  the  nearby 
county  seat,  and  contained  quite  a  full  account 
of  the  affair. 

The  story  was  told  of  how  the  bank  had  been 
broken  into,  the  vault  rifled  and  the  money  taken. 
The  first  clue,  it  said,  was  given  by  a  youth  named 
Andy  Foger,  who  had  seen  a  former  acquaintance 
hanging  around  the  bank  with  burglar  tools. 
Tom  recognized  the  description  of  himself  as  the 
"former  acquaintence,"  but  he  could  not  under- 
stand the  rest. 

"Burglar  tools?  I  wonder  how  Andy  could 
say  that?"  he  asked  Mr.  Damon. 

"Wait  until  we  get  back,  and  we'll  ask  John 
Sharp,"  suggested  his  companion.  "This  is  very 
strange.  I  am  going  to  sue  some  one  for  spread- 
ing false  reports  about  me!  Bless  my  ledgers, 
why  I  have  money  on  deposit  in  that  bank!  To 
think  that  I  would  rob  it !" 

"Poor  dad !"  murmured  Tom.  "This  must  be 
hard  for  him.  But  what  about  ordering  food? 
Maybe  if  we  buy  any  they  will  trail  us,  find  the  air- 


164          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

ship  and  capture  it.  I  don't  want  to  be  arrested, 
even  if  I  am  innocent,  and  I  certainly  don't  want 
the  airship  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  police. 
They  might  damage  it." 

"We  must  go  see  Mr.  Sharp/'  declared  Mr. 
Damon,  and  back  to  where  the  Red  Cloud  was 
concealed  they  went. 

To  say  that  the  balloonist  was  astonished  is 
putting  it  mildly.  He  was  even  more  excited 
than  was  Mr.  Damon. 

"Wait  until  I  get  hold  of  that  Andy  Foger!" 
he  cried.  "I'll  make  him  sweat  for  this!  I  see 
he's  already  laid  claim  to  the  reward,"  he  added, 
reading  further  along  in  the  article.  "He  thinks 
he  has  put  the  police  on  our  trail." 

"So  he  seems  to  have  done,"  added  Tom.  "The 
whole  country  has  been  notified  to  look  out  for 
us,"  the  paper  says.  "We're  likely  to  be  fired  upon 
whenever  we  pass  over  a  city  or  a  town." 

"Then  we'll  have  to  avoid  them,"  declared  the 
balloonist. 

"But  we  must  go  back,"  declared  Tom. 

"Of  course.  Back  to  be  vindicated.  We'll  havf 
to  give  up  our  trip.  My,  my !  But  this  is  a  sur< 
prise!" 

"I  don't  see  what  makes  Andy  say  he  saw  me 
with  burglar  tools,"  commented  Tom,  with  3 
puzzled  air. 


GACK  FOR   VINDICATION  165 

Mr.  Sharp  thought  for  a  moment.  Then  he  ex* 
claimed : 

"It  was  that  bag  of  tools  I  sent  you  after — the 
long  wrenches,  the  pliers,  and  the  brace  and  bits. 
You " 

"Of  course!"  cried  Tom.  "I  remember  now. 
The  bag  dropped  and  opened,  and  Andy  and  Sam 
saw  the  tools.  But  the  idea  of  taking  them  for 
burglar  tools!" 

"Well,  I  suppose  the  burglars,  whoever  they 
were,  did  use  tools  similar  to  those  to  break 
open  the  vault,"  put  in  Mr.  Damon.  "Andy 
probably  thought  he  was  a  smart  lad  to  put  the 
police  on  our  track." 

"I'll  put  him  on  the  track,  when  I  return,"  de- 
clared Mr.  Sharp.  "Well,  now,  what's  to  be 
done?" 

"We've  got  to  have  food,"  suggested  Tom. 

"Yes,  but  I  think  we  can  manage  that.  I've 
been  looking  over  the  ship,  as  best  I  could  in  the 
dark.  It  seems  to  be  all  right.  We  can  start 
tearly  in  the  morning  without  anyone  around  here 
knowing  we  paid  their  town  a  visit.  You  and 
Mr.  Damon  go  back  to  town,  Tom,  and  order 
some  stuff.  Have  the  man  leave  it  by  the  road- 
side early  to-morrow  morning.  Tell  him  it's  for 
some  travelers,  who  will  stop  and  pick  it  up. 
him  well,  and  tell  him  to  keep  quiet,  as  it's 


166          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

for  a  racing  party.  That's  true  enough.  We're 
going  to  race  home  to  vindicate  our  reputations. 
I  think  that  will  be  all  right." 

"The  man  may  get  suspicious,"  said  Mr. 
Damon. 

"I  hope  not,"  answered  the  balloonist.  "We've 
got  to  take  a  chance,  anyhow." 

The  plan  worked  well,  however,  the  store  keepet 
promising  to  have  the  supplies  on  hand  at  the 
time  and  place  mentioned.  He  winked  as  Tom 
asked  him  to  keep  quiet  about  it. 

"Oh,  I  know  yo'  automobile  fellers,"  he  said 
with  a  laugh.  "You  want  to  get  some  grub  on  the 
fly,  so  you  won't  have  to  stop,  an'  can  beat  th' 
other  fellow.  I  know  you,  fer  I  see  them  auto- 
mobile goggles  stickin'  out  of  your  pocket." 

Tom  and  Mr.  Damon  each  had  a  pair,  to  use 
when  the  wind  was  strong,  but  the  young  in- 
ventor had  forgotten  about  his.  They  now  served 
him  a  good  turn,  for  they  turned  the  thoughts  of 
the  storekeeper  into  a  new  channel.  The  lad  let 
it  go  at  that,  and,  paying  for  such  things  as  he 
and  Mr.  Damon  could  not  carry,  left  the  store. 

The  aeronauts  passed  an  uneasy  night.  They 
raised  their  ship  high  in  the  air,  anchoring  it  by  a 
rope  fast  to  a  big  tree,  and  they  turned  on  no 
lights,  for  they  did  not  want  to  betray  their  posi- 
tion. They  descended  before  it  was  yet  daylight, 


BACK  FOR   V INDICATION  167 

and  a  little  later  hurried  to  the  place  where  the 
provisions  were  left.  They  found  their  supplies 
safely  on  hand,  and,  carrying  them  into  the  air- 
ship, prepared  to  turn  back  to  Shopton. 

As  the  ship  rose  high  in  the  air  a  crowd  of 
negro  laborers  passing  through  a  distant  field,  saw 
it.  At  once  they  raised  a  commotion,  shouting 
and  pointing  to  the  wonderful  sight. 

"We're  discovered !"  cried  Tom. 

"No  matter,"  answered  Mr.  Sharp.  "We'll 
soon  be  out  of  sight,  and  we'll  fly  high  the  rest 
of  this  trip." 

Tom  looked  down  on  the  fast  disappearing  lit- 
tle hamlet,  and  he  thought  of  the  pretty  girl  in 
the  restaurant. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

WRECKED 

WITH  her  nose  headed  north,  the  Red  Cloud 
swung  along  through  the  air.  Those  on  board 
were  thinking  of  many  things,  but  chief  among 
them  was  the  unjust  accusation  that  had  been 
made  against  them,  by  an  irresponsible  boy — the 
red-haired  Andy  Foger.  They  read  the  account 
in  the  paper  again,  seeking  to  learn  from  it  new 
things  at  each  perusal. 

"It's  just  a  lot  of  circumstantial  evidence—- 
that's  what  it  is,"  said  Tom.  "I  admit  it  might 
look  suspicious  to  anyone  who  didn't  know  us^ 
but  Andy  Foger  has  certainly  done  the  most  mis- 
chief by  his  conclusions.  Burglar  tools!  The 
idea!" 

"I  think  I  shall  sue  the  bank  for  damages," 
declared  Mr.  Damon.  "They  have  injured  my 
reputation  by  making  this  accusation  against  me. 
Anyhow,  I'll  certainly  never  do  any  more  busi- 
ness with  them,  and  I'll  withdraw  my  ten  thou- 
sand dollars  deposit,  as  soon  as  we  get  back." 
168 


WRECKED  169 

"Mr.  Sharp  doesn't  seem  to  be  accused  of  do- 
ing anything  at  all,"  remarked  Tom,  reading  the 
article  for  perhaps  the  tenth  time. 

"Oh,  I  guess  I'm  a  sort  of  general  all-around 
bad  man,  who  helped  you  burglars  to  escape  with 
the  booty,"  answered  the  balloonist,  with  a  laugh. 
"I  expect  to  be  arrested  along  with  you  two." 

"But  must  we  be  arrested?"  inquired  Tom 
anxiously.  "I  don't  like  that  idea  at  all.  We 
haven't  done  anything." 

'This  is  my  plan,"  went  on  Mr.  Sharp.  "We'll 
get  back  to  Shopton  as  quickly  as  we  can.  We'll 
arrive  at  night,  so  no  one  will  see  us,  and,  leaving 
the  airship  in  some  secluded  spot,  we'll  go  to  the 
police  and  explain  matters.  We  can  easily  prove 
that  we  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  robbery.  Why 
we  were  all  home  the  night  it  happened!  Mr. 
Swift,  Mr.  Jackson  and  Mrs.  Baggert  can  testify 
to  that." 

"Yes,"  agreed  Mr.  Damon.  "I  guess  they  can. 
Bless  my  bank  book,  but  that  seems  a  good  plan. 
We'll  follow  it." 

Proceeding  on  the  plan  which  they  had  decided 
was  the  best  one,  the  Red  Cloud  was  sent  high  into 
the  air.  So  high  up  was  it  that,  at  times,  it  was 
above  the  clouds.  Though  this  caused  some  lit- 
tle discomfort  at  first,  especially  to  Mr.  Damon, 
he  soon  became  used  to  it,  as  did  the  others.  And 


170          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

it  had  the  advantage  of  concealing  them  from  the 
persons  below  who  might  be  on  the  lookout. 

"For  we  don't  want  to  be  shot  at  again,"  ex- 
plained Mr.  Sharp.  "It  isn't  altogether  healthy, 
and  not  very  safe.  If  we  keep  high  up  they  can't 
see  us;  much  less  shoot  at  us.  They'll  take  us 
for  some  big  bird.  Then,  too,  we  can  go  faster." 

"I  suppose  there  will  be  another  alarm  sent  out, 
from  those  negroes  having  sighted  us,"  ventured 
Tom. 

"Oh,  yes,  but  those  colored  fellows  were  so  ex- 
cited they  may  describe  us  as  having  horns,  hoofs 
and  a  tail,  and  their  story  may  not  be  believed. 
I'm  not  worrying  about  them.  My  chief  concern 
is  to  drive  the  Red  Cloud  for  all  she  is  worth.  I 
want  to  explain  some  things  back  there  in  Shop- 
ton." 

As  if  repenting  of  the  way  it  had  misbehaved 
over  the  forest  fire,  the  airship  was  now  swinging 
along  at  a  rapid  rate.  Seated  in  the  cabin  the 
travelers  would  have  really  enjoyed  the  return 
trip  had  it  not  been  for  the  accusation  hanging 
over  them.  The  weather  was  fine  and  clear,  and 
as  they  skimmed  along,  now  and  then  coming 
out  from  the  clouds,  they  caught  glimpses  below 
them  of  the  earth  above  which  they  were  traveling. 
They  had  a  general  idea  of  their  location,  from 
knowing  the  town  where  the  paper  had  given 


WRECKED  171 

them  such  astounding  news,  and  it  was  easy  to 
calculate  their  rate  of  progress. 

After  running  about  a  hundred  miles  or  so,  at 
high  speed  Mr.  Sharp  found  it  necessary  to  slow 
down  the  motor,  as  some  of  the  new  bearings 
were  heating.  Still  this  gave  them  no  alarm,  as 
they  were  making  good  time.  They  came  to  a 
stop  that  night,  and  calculated  that  by  the  next 
evening,  or  two  at  the  latest,  they;  would  be  back 
in  Shopton.  But  they  did  not  calculate  on  an  ac- 
cident. 

One  of  the  cylinders  on  the  big  motor  cracked, 
as  they  started  up  next  morning,  and  for  some 
hours  they  had  to  hang  in  the  air,  suspended  by 
the  gas  in  the  container,  while  Mr.  Sharp  and 
Tom  took  out  the  damaged  part,  and  put  in  a 
spare  one,  the  cylinders  being  cast  separately.  It 
was  dusk  when  they  finished,  and  too  late  to 
start  up,  so  they  remained  about  in  the  same 
place  until  the  next  day. 

Morning  dawned  with  a  hot  humidness,  unusual 
at  that  time  of  the  year,  but  partly  accounted 
for  by  the  fact  that  they  were  still  within  the 
influence  of  the  southern  climate.  With  a  whizz 
the  big  propellers  were  set  in  motion,  and,  with 
Tom  at  the  wheel,  the  ship  being  about  three  miles 
in  the  air,  to  which  height  it  had  risen  after  the 
repairs  were  made,  the  journey  was  recommenced. 


172          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

"It's  cooler  up  here  than  down  below/'  re- 
marked Tom,  as  he  shifted  the  wheel  and  rudder 
a  bit,  in  response  to  a  gust  of  wind,  that  heeled 
the  craft  over. 

"Yes,  I  think  we're  going  to  have  a  storm," 
remarked  Mr.  Sharp,  eyeing  the  clouds  with  a 
professional  air.  "We  may  run  ahead  of  it,  or 
right  into  it.  We'll  go  down  a  bit,  toward  night, 
when  there's  less  danger  of  being  shot." 

So  far,  on  their  return  trip,  they  had  not  been 
low  enough,  in  the  day  time,  to  be  in  any  danger 
from  persons  who  hoped  to  earn  the  five  thousand 
dollars  reward. 

The  afternoon  passed  quickly,  and  it  got  dark 
early.  There  was  a  curious  hum  to  the  wind,  and, 
hearing  it,  Mr.  Sharp  began  to  go  about  the  ship, 
seeing  that  everything  was  fast  and  taut. 

"We're  going  to  have  a  blow,"  he  remarked,, 
"and  a  heavy  one,  too.  We'll  have  to  make  every- 
thing snug,  and  be  ready  to  go  up  or  down,  as 
the  case  calls  for." 

"Up  or  down  ?"  inquired  Mr.  Damon. 

"Yes.  By  rising  we  may  escape  the  blow,  or, 
by  going  below  the  strata  of  agitated  air,  we  may 
escape  it." 

"How  about  rain?" 

"Well,  you  can  get  above  rain,  but  you  can't 
get  below  it,  with  the  law  of  gravitation  working 


WRECKED  173 

as  it  does  at  present.  How's  the  gas  generator, 
Tom?" 

"Seems  to  be  all  right,"  replied  the  young  in- 
ventor, who  had  relinquished  the  wheel  to  the 
balloonist. 

They  ate  an  early  supper,  and,  hardly  had  the 
dishes  been  put  away,  when  from  the  west,  where 
there  was  a  low-flying  bank  of  clouds,  there  came 
a  mutter  of  thunder.  A  little  later  there  was  a 
dull,  red  illumination  amid  the  rolling  masses  of 
vapor. 

"There's  the  storm,  and  she's  heading  right 
this  way,"  commented  Mr.  Sharp. 

"Can't  you  avoid  it?"  asked  Mr.  Damon,  anx- 
iously. 

"I  could,  if  I  knew  how  high  it  was,  but  I 
guess  we'll  wait  and  see  how  it  looks  as  we  get 
closer." 

The  airship  was  flying  on,  and  the  storm, 
driven  by  a  mighty  wind,  was  rushing  to  meet 
it.  Already  there  was  a  sighing,  moaning  sound 
in  the  wire  and  wooden  braces  of  the  Red  Cloud. 

Suddenly  there  came  such  a  blast  that  it  heeled 
the  ship  over  on  her  side. 

"Shift  the  equilibrium  rudders!"  shouted  Mr. 
Sharp  to  Tom,  turning  the  wheel  and  various 
levers  over  to  the  lad.  "I'm  going  to  get  more 
speed  out  of  the  motor!" 


174          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

Tom  acted  just  in  time,  and,  after  bobbing 
about  like  a  cork  on  the  water,  the  ship  was 
righted,  and  sent  forging  ahead,  under  the  in- 
fluence of  the  propellers  worked  at  top  speed.  Nor 
was  this  any  too  much,  for  it  needed  all  the  power 
of  the  big  engine  to  even  partially  overcome  the 
force  of  the  wind  that  was  blowing  right  against 
the  Red  Cloud.  Of  course  they  might  have  turned 
and  flown  before  it,  but  they  wanted  to  go  north, 
not  south — they  wanted  to  face  their  accusers. 

Then,  after  the  first  fury  of  the  blast  had  spent 
itself,  there  came  a  deluge  of  rain,  following  a 
dazzling  glare  of  lightning  and  a  bursting  crash 
of  thunder. 

In  spite  of  the  gale  buffeting  her,  the  airship 
was  making  good  progress.  The  skill  of  Tom 
and  the  balloonist  was  never  shown  to  better 
advantage.  All  around  them  the  storm  raged,  but 
through  it  the  craft  kept  on  her  way.  Nothing 
could  be  seen  but  pelting  sheets  of  water  and 
swirling  mist,  yet  onward  the  ship  was  driven. 

The  thunder  was  deafening,  and  the  lightning 
nearly  blinded  them,  until  the  electrics  were 
switched  on,  flooding  the  cabin  with  radiance. 
Inside  the  car  they  were  snug  and  dry,  though  the 
pitching  of  the  craft  was  like  that  of  a  big  liner 
in  the  trough  of  the  ocean  waves. 

"Will  she  weather  it,  do  you  think?"  called  Mr. 


WRECKED  175 

Damon,  in  the  ear  of  Mr.  Sharp,  shouting  so  as 
to  be  heard  above  the  noise  of  the  elements,  and 
the  hum  of  the  motor. 

The  balloonist  nodded. 

"She's  a  good  ship,"  he  answered  proudly. 

Hardly  had  he  spoken  when  there  came  a  crash 
louder  than  any  that  had  preceded,  and  the  flash 
of  rosy  light  that  accompanied  it  seemed  to  set 
the  whole  heavens  on  fire.  At  the  same  time 
there  was  violent  shock  to  the  ship. 

" We're  hit  S    Struck  by  lightning !"  yelled  Tom. 

"We're  falling!"  cried  Mr.  Damon  an  instant 
later. 

Mr.  Sharp  looked  at  the  elevation  gauge.  The 
hand  was  slowly  swinging  around.  Down,  down 
dropped  the  Red  Cloud.  She  was  being  roughly 
treated  by  the  storm. 

"I'm  afraid  we're  wrecked!"  said  the  balloon- 
ist in  a  low  voice,  scarcely  audible  above  the  roar 
of  the  tempest.  Following  the  great  crash  had 
come  a  comparatively  light  bombardment  from  the 
sky  artillery. 

"Use  the  gliding  rudder,  Tom,"  called  Mr. 
Sharp,  a  moment  later.  "We  may  fall,  but  we'll 
land  as  easily  as  possible." 

The  wind,  the  rain,  the  lightning  and  thunder 
continued.  Down,  down  sank  the  ship.  Its  fall 
was  somewhat  checked  by  the  rudder  Tom  swung 


176          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

into  place,  and  by  setting  the  planes  at  a  different 
angle.  The  motor  had  been  stopped,  and  the 
propellers  no  longer  revolved.  In  the  confusion 
and  darkness  it  was  not  safe  to  run  ahead,  with 
the  danger  of  colliding  with  unseen  objects  on  the 
earth. 

They  tried  to  peer  from  the  windows,  but 
could  see  nothing.  A  moment  later,  as  they  stared 
at  each  other  with  fear  in  their  eyes,  there  came 
a  shock.  The  ship  trembled  from  end  to  end. 

"We've  landed !"  cried  Tom,  as  he  yanked  back 
on  the  levers.  The  airship  came  to  a  stop. 

"Now  to  see  where  we  are,"  said  Mr.  Sharp 
grimly,  "and  how  badly  we  are  wrecked" 


CHAPTER  XX 

TOM  GETS  A  CLUE 

OUT  of  the  cabin  of  the  now  stationary  airship 
hurried  the  three  travelers;  out  into  the  pelting 
rain,  which  was  lashed  into  their  faces  by  the 
strong  wind.  Tom  was  the  first  to  emerge. 

"We're  on  something  solid !"  he  cried,  stamping 
his  feet.  "A  rock,  I  guess." 

"Gracious,  I  hope  we're  not  on  a  rock  in  the 
midst  of  a  river !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Damon.  "Bless 
my  soul,  though!  The  water  does  seem  to  be 
running  around  my  ankles." 

"There's  enough  rain  to  make  water  run  almost 
up  to  our  necks,"  called  Mr.  Sharp,  above  the 
noise  of  the  storm.  "Tom,  can  you  make  out 
where  we  are?" 

"Not  exactly.     Is  the  ship  all  right?" 

"I  can't  see  very  well,  but  there  appears  to  be 
a  hole  in  the  gas  container.  A  big  one,  too,  or  we 
wouldn't  have  fallen  so  quickly." 

The  plight  of  the  travelers  of  the  air  was  any- 
177 


178          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

thing  but  enviable.  They  were  wet  through,  for 
it  needed  only  a  few  minutes'  exposure  to  the  pelt- 
ing storm  to  bring  this  about.  They  could  not 
tell,  in  the  midst  of  the  darkness,  where  they 
were,  and  they  almost  feared  to  move  for  fear 
they  might  be  on  top  of  some  rock  or  precipice, 
over  which  they  might  tumble  if  they  took  a  false 
step. 

"Let's  get  back  inside  the  ship/'  proposed  Mr. 
Damon.  "It's  warm  and  dry  there,  at  all  events. 
Bless  my  umbrella,  I  don't  know  when  I've  been 
so  wet!" 

"I'm  not  going  in  until  I  find  out  where  we 
are,"  declared  Tom.  "Wait  a  minute,  and  I'll 
go  in  and  get  an  electric  flash  lantern.  That  will 
show  us,"  for  the  lightning  had  ceased  with  the 
great  crash  that  seemed  to  have  wrecked  the  Red 
Cloud.  The  rain  still  kept  up,  however,  and  there 
was  a  distant  muttering  of  thunder,  whik  it  was 
so  black  that  had  not  the  lights  in  the  cabin  of 
the  airship  been  faintly  glowing  they  could  hardly 
have  found  the  craft  had  they  moved  ten  feet 
away  from  it. 

Tom  soon  returned  with  the  portable  electric 
lamp,  operated  by  dry  batteries.  He  flashed  it  on 
the  surface  of  where  they  were  standing,  and 
uttered  an  exclamation. 

"We're  on  a  roof!"  he  cried. 


TOM   GETS  A   CLUE  179 

"A  roof  ?"  repeated  Mr.  Damon. 

"Yes;  the  roof  of  some  large  building,  and 
what  you  thought  was  a  river  is  the  rain  water 
running  off  it.  See !" 

The  young  inventor  held  the  light  down  so 
his  companions  could  observe  the  surface  of  that 
upon  which  the  airship  rested.  There  was  no 
doubt  of  it.  They  were  on  top  of  a  large  build- 
ing. 

"If  we're  on  a  roof  we  must  be  in  the  midst  of 
a  city,"  objected  Mr.  Damon.  "But  I  can't  see 
any  lights  around,  and  we  would  see  them  if  we 
were  in  a  city,  you  know." 

"Maybe  the  storm  put  the  lights  out  of  busi- 
ness," suggested  Mr.  Sharp.  "That  often  oc- 


curs." 


"I  know  one  way  we  can  find  out  for  certain," 
went  on  Tom. 

"How?" 

"Start  up  our  search  lamp,  and  play  it  all 
around.  We  can't  make  sure  how  large  this  roof 
is  in  the  dark,  and  it's  risky  trying  to  trace  the 
edges  by  walking  around." 

"Yes,  and  it  would  be  risky  to  start  our  search 
light  going,"  objected  Mr.  Sharp.  "People  would 
see  it,  and  there'd  be  a  crowd  up  here  in  less  than 
no  time,  storm  or  no  storm.  No,  we've  got  to 


180          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

keep  dark  until  I  can  see  what's  the  matter.  We 
must  leave  here  before  daylight." 

"Suppose  we  can't?"  asked  Mr.  Damon.  "The 
crowds  will  be  sure  to  see  us  then,  anyhow." 

"I  am  pretty  sure  we  can  get  away,"  was  the 
opinion  of  the  balloonist.  "Even  if  our  gas  con- 
tainer is  so  damaged  that  it  will  not  sustain  us, 
we  are  still  an  aeroplane,  and  this  roof  being 
flat  will  make  a  good  place  to  start  from.  No,  we 
can  leave  as  soon  as  this  storm  lets  up  a  little." 

"Then  I'm  going  to  have  a  look  and  find  out 
what  sort  of  a  building  this  is,"  declared  Tom, 
and,  while  Mr.  Sharp  began  a  survey,  as  well 
as  he  could  in  the  dark,  of  the  airship,  the  young 
inventor  proceeded  cautiously  to  ascertain  the  ex- 
tent of  the  roof. 

The  rain  was  not  coming  down  quite  so  hard 
now,  and  Tom  found  it  easier  to  see.  Mr.  Damon, 
finding  he  could  do  nothing  to  help,  went  back 
into  the  cabin,  blessing  himself  and  his  various 
possessions  at  the  queer  predicament  in  which  they 
found  themselves. 

Flashing  his  light  every  few  seconds,  Tom 
walked  on  until  he  came  to  one  edge  of  the  roof. 
It  was  very  large,  as  he  could  judge  by  the  time 
it  took  him  to  traverse  it.  There  was  a  low  para- 
pet at  the  edge.  He  peered  over,  and  an  ex- 
panse of  dark  wall  met  his  eyes. 


TOM   GETS  A   CLUE  181 

"Must  have  come  to  one  side/'  he  reasoned 
""I  want  to  get  to  the  front.  Then,  maybe,  I  can 
see  a  sign  that  will  tell  me  what  I  want  to  know." 

The  lad  turned  to  the  left,  and,  presently  came 
to  another  parapet.  It  was  higher,  and  orna- 
mented with  terra-cotta  bricks.  This,  evidently, 
was  the  front.  As  Tom  peered  over  the  edge  of 
the  little  raised  ledge,  there  flashed  out  below  him 
hundreds  of  electric  lights.  The  city  illuminating 
plant  was  being  repaired.  Then  Tom  saw  flash- 
ing below  him  one  of  those  large  signs  made  of 
incandescent  lights.  It  was  in  front  of  the  build- 
ing, and  as  soon  as  our  hero  saw  the  words  he 
knew  where  the  airship  had  landed.  For  what 
he  read,  as  he  leaned  over,  was  this : 

MIDDLEVILLE  ARCADE 

Tom  gave  a  cry. 

"What's  the  matter?"  called  Mr.  Sharp. 

"I've  discovered  something,"  answered  Tom, 
hurrying  up  to  his  friend.  "We're  on  top  of  the 
Middleville  Arcade  building." 

"What  does  that  mean?" 

"It  means  that  we're  not  so  very  far  from 
home,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  fairly  large  city. 
But  it  means  more  than  that." 

"What?"  demanded  the  balloonist,  struck  by 


182  TOM  SWIFT  AND   HIS  AIRSHIP 

an  air  of  excitement  about  the  lad,  for,  as  Tom 
stood  in  the  subdued  glow  of  the  lights  from  one 
of  the  airship's  cabin  windows,  all  the  others  hav- 
ing been  darkened  as  the  storm  slackened,  his 
eyes  shone  brightly. 

"This  is  the  building  where  Anson  Morse,  one 
of  the  gang  that  robbed  dad,  once  had  an  office," 
went  on  Tom  eagerly.  "That  was  brought  out 
at  the  trial.  And  it's  the  place  where  they  used 
to  do  some  of  their  conspiring.  Maybe  some  of 
the  crowd  are  here  now  laying  low." 

"Well,  if  they  are,  we  don't  want  anything 
to  do  with  that  gang,"  said  Mr.  Sharp.  "We 
can't  arrest  them.  Besides  I've  found  out  that 
our  ship  is  all  right,  after  all.  We  can  proceed 
as  soon  as  we  like.  There  is  only  a  small  leak 
in  the  gas  container.  It  was  the  generator  ma- 
chine that  was  put  out  of  business  by  the  light- 
jning,  and  I've  repaired  it." 

"I  want  to  see  if  I  can  get  any  trace  of  thr 
rascals.  Maybe  I  could  learn  something  from  the 
janitor  of  the  Arcade  about  them.  The  janitor 
is  probably  here." 

"But  why  do  you  want  to  get  any  information 
about  that  gang?" 

"Because,"  answered  Tom,  and,  as  Mr.  Damon 
at  that  moment  started  to  come  from  the  cabin 
of  the  airship,  the  lad  leaped  forward  and  whis- 


TOM   GETS  A   CLUE  183- 

pered  the  remainder  of  the  sentence  into  the  ear 
of  the  balloonist. 

"You  don't  mean  it!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Sharp, 
in  a  tense  whisper.  Tom  nodded  vigorously. 

"But  how  can  you  enter  the  building?"  asked 
the  other.  "You  can't  drop  over  the  edge." 

"Down  the  scuttle,"  answered  Tom.  "There 
must  be  one  on  the  roof,  for  they  have  to  come 
up  here  at  times.  We  can  force  the  lock,  if  neces- 
sary. I  want  to  enter  the  building  and  see  where 
Morse  had  his  office." 

"All  right.  Go  ahead.  I'll  engage  Mr.  Damon 
here  so  he  won't  follow  you.  It  will  be  great 
news  for  him.  Go  ahead." 

Under  pretense  of  wanting  the  help  of  the 
eccentric  man  in  completing  the  repairs  he  had 
started,  Mr.  Sharp  took  Mr.  Damon  back  into  the 
cabin.  Tom,  getting  a  big  screw  driver  from 
an  outside  tool-box,  approached  the  scuttle  on  the 
roof.  He  could  see  it  looming  up  in  the  semi- 
darkness,  a  sort  of  box,  covering  a  stairway  that 
led  down  into  the  building.  The  door  was  locked, 
but  Tom  forced  it,  and  felt  justified.  A  few  min- 
utes later,  cautiously  flashing  his  light,  almost 
like  a  burglar  he  thought,  he  was  prowling  around 
the  corridors  of  the  office  structure. 

Was  it  deserted  ?  That  was  what  he  wanted  to 
know.  He  knew  the  office  Morse  had  formerly 


184          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

occupied  was  two  floors  from  the  top.  Tom 
descended  the  staircase,  trying  to  think  up  some 
excuse  to  offer,  in  case  he  met  the  watchman  or 
janitor.  But  he  encountered  no  one.  As  he  reached 
the  floor  where  he  knew  Morse  and  his  gang  were 
wont  to  assemble,  he  paused  and  listened.  At 
first  he  heard  nothing,  then,  as  the  sound  of  the 
storm  became  less  he  fancied  he  heard  the  mur- 
mur of  voices. 

"Suppose  it  should  be  some  of  them?"  whis- 
pered Tom. 

He  went  forward,  pausing  at  almost  every 
other  step  to  listen.  The  voices  became  louden 
Tom  was  now  nearly  at  the  office,  where  Morse 
had  once  had  his  quarters.  Now  he  could  see  it, 
and  his  heart  gave  a  great  thump  as  he  noticed 
that  the  place  was  lighted.  The  lad  could  read 
the  name  on  the  door.  "Industrial  Development 
Company."  That  was  the  name  of  a  fake  concern 
headed  by  Morse.  As  our  hero  looked  he  saw  the 
shadows  of  two  men  thrown  on  the  ground  glass. 

"Some  one's  in  there!"  he  whispered  to  hinv 
self.  He  could  now  hear  the  voices  much  plainer, 
They  came  from  the  room,  but  the  lad  could  not 
distinguish  them  as  belonging  to  any  of  the  gang 
with  whom  he  had  come  in  contact,  and  who  had 
escaped  from  jail. 

The  low  murmur  went  on  for  several  seconds. 


TOM   GETS   A    CLUE  185 

The  listener  could  make  out  no  words.  Suddenly 
the  low,  even  mumble  was  broken.  Some  one 
cried  out: 

"There's  got  to  be  a  divvy  soon.  There's  no 
use  letting  Morse  hold  that  whole  seventy-five 
thousand  any  longer.  I'm  going  to  get  what's 
coming  to  me,  or " 

"Hush!"  some  one  else  cried.    "Be  quiet!" 

"No,  I  won't!  I  want  my  share.  I've  waited 
long  enough.  If  I  don't  get  what's  coming  to 
me  inside  of  a  week,  I'll  go  to  Shagmon  myself 
and  make  Morse  whack  up.  I  helped  on  the  job, 
and  I  want  my  money!" 

"Will  you  be  quiet?"  pleaded  another,  and,  at 
that  instant  Tom  heard  some  one's  hand  on  the 
knob.  The  door  opened  a  crack,  letting  out  a 
pencil  of  light.  The  men  were  evidently  coming 
out.  The  young  inventor  did  not  wait  to  hear 
more.  He  had  a  clue  now,  and,  running  on  tip- 
toes, he  made  his  way  to  the  staircase  and  out  of 
the  scuttle  on  the  roof. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

ON    THE    TRAIL 

the  matter,  Tom?"  asked  Mr.  Sharp, 
as  the  lad  came  hurrying  along  the  roof,  having 
taken  the  precaution  to  fasten  the  scuttle  door  as 
well  as  he  could.  "You  seem  excited." 

"So  would  you,  if  you  had  heard  what  I  did." 

"What?  You  don't  mean  that  some  of  the 
gang  is  down  there?" 

"Yes,  and  what's  more  I'm  on  the  trail  of  the 
thieves  who  robbed  the  Shopton  Bank  of  the 
seventy-five  thousand  dollars !" 

"No!    You  don't  mean  it!" 

"I  certainly  do." 

"Then  we'd  better  tell  Mr.  Damon.  He's  in 
the  cabin." 

"Of  course  I'll  tell  him.  He's  as  much  con- 
cerned as  I  am.  He  wants  to  be  vindicated.  Isn't 
it  great  luck,  though?" 

"But  you  haven't  landed  the  men  yet.  Do  you 
186 


ON   THE    TRAIL  187 

fnean  to  say  that  the  same  gang — the  Happy 
Harry  crowd — r-ebbed  the  bank?" 

"I  think  so,  from  what  I  heard.  But  come  in- 
side and  I'll  tell  you  all  about  it." 

"Suppose  we  start  the  ship  first?  It's  ready 
to  run.  There  wasn't  as  much  the  matter  with  it 
as  I  feared.  The  storm  is  over  now,  and  we'll 
be  safer  up  in  the  air  than  on  this  roof.  Did  you, 
get  all  the  information  you  could?" 

"All  I  dared  to.  The  men  were  coming  out,  so 
I  had  to  run.  They  were  quarreling,  and  when 
that  happens  among  thieves " 

"Why  honest  men  get  their  dues,  everyone 
knows  that  proverb,"  interrupted  Mr.  Damon, 
again  emerging  from  the  cabin.  '"But  bless  my 
quotation  marks,  I  should  think  you'd  have  some- 
thing better  to  do  than  stand  there  talking 
proverbs." 

"We  have,"  replied  Mr.  Sharp  quickly.  "We're 
going  to  start  the  ship,  and  then  we  have  some 
news  for  you.  Tom,  you  take  the  steering  wheel, 
and  I'll  start  the  gas  machine.  We'll  rise  to  some 
distance  before  starting  the  propellers,  and  then 
we  won't  create  any  excitement." 

"But  what  news  are  you  going  to  tell  me?" 
asked  Mr.  Damon.  "Bless  my  very  existence,  but 
you  get  me  all  excited,  and  then  you  won't  gratify 
my  curiosity." 


188          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

"In  a  little  while  we  will,"  responded  Mr, 
Sharp.  Lively  now,  Tom.  Some  one  may  see 
this  airship  on  top  of  the  building,  as  it's  getting 
so  much  lighter  now,  after  the  storm." 

The  outburst  of  the  elements  was  almost  over 
and  Tom  taking  another  look  over  the  edge  of  the 
roof,  could  see  persons  moving  about  in  the  street 
below.  The  storm  clouds  were  passing  and  a  faint 
haze  showed  where  a  moon  would  soon  make  its 
appearance,  thus  disclosing  the  craft  so  oddly 
perched  upon  the  roof.  There  was  need  of  haste. 

Fortunately  the  Red  Cloud  could  be  sent  aloft 
without  the  use  of  the  propellers,  for  the  gas 
would  serve  to  lift  her.  It  had  been  found  that 
lightning  had  struck  the  big,  red  aluminum  con- 
tainer, but  the  shock  had  been  a  comparatively 
slight  one,  and,  as  the  tank  was  insulated  from 
the  rest  of  the  ship  no  danger  resulted  to  the 
occupants.  A  rent  was  made  in  two  or  three  of 
the  gas  compartments,  but  the  others  remained  in- 
tact, and,  when  an  increased  pressure  of  the  vapor 
was  used  the  ship  was  almost  as  bouyant  as  be- 
fore. 

Into  the  cabin  the  three  travelers  hurried,  drip- 
ping water  at  every  step,  for  there  was  no  time  to 
change  clothes.  Then,  with  Tom  and  Mr.  Sharp 
managing  the  machinery,  the  craft  slowly  rose. 
It  was  well  that  they  had  started  for,  when  a  few 


ON   THE   TRAIL  189 

hundred  feet  above  the  roof,  the  moon  suddenly 
shone  from  behind  a  bank  of  clouds  and  would 
most  certainly  have  revealed  their  position  to  per- 
sons in  the  street.  As  it  was  several  were  at- 
tracted by  the  sight  of  some  great  object  in  the 
air.  They  called  the  attention  of  others  to  it,  but, 
by  the  time  glasses  and  telescopes  had  been 
brought  to  bear,  the  Red  Cloud  was  far  away. 

"Dry  clothes  now,  some  hot  drinks,  and  then 
Tom  will  tell  us  his  secret,"  remarked  Mr.  Sharp, 
and,  with  the  great  ship  swaying  high  above  the 
city  of  Middleville  Tom  told  what  he  had  heard  in 
the  offiice  building. 

"They  are  the  thieves  who  looted  the  bank, 
and  caused  us  to  be  unjustly  accused,"  he  finished. 
"If  we  can  capture  them  we'll  get  the  reward,  and 
turn  a  neat  trick  on  Andy  Foger  and  his  cronies." 

"But  how  can  you  capture  them?"  asked  Mr. 
Damon.  "You  don't  know  where  they  are." 

"Perhaps  not  where  Morse  and  the  men 
who  have  the  money  are.  But  I  have  a  plan.  It's 
this:  We'll  go  to  some  quiet  place,  leave  the 
airship,  and  then  inform  the  authorities  of  our  sus- 
picions. They  can  come  here  and  arrest  the  men 
who  still  seem  to  be  hanging  out  in  Morse's  of- 
fice. Then  we  can  get  on  the  trail  of  this  Shag- 
mon,  who  seems  to  be  the  person  in  authority 
this  time,  though  I  never  heard  of  him  before. 


190          TOM   SWIFT  AND   HIS  AIRSHIP 

He  seems  to  have  the  money,  according  to  what 
one  of  the  men  in  the  office  said,  and  he's  the 
man  we  want." 

"Shagmon !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Damon. 

"Yes,  Shagmon.  The  fellow  I  heard  talking 
said  he'd  go  to  Shagmon  and  make  Morse  whack 
up.  Shagmon  may  be  the  real  head  of  the  gang." 

"Ha!  I  have  it!"  cried  Mr.  Damon  suddenly. 
"I  wonder  I  didn't  think  of  it  before.  Shagmon 
is  the  headquarters,  not  the  head  of  the  gang!" 

"What  do  you  mean?"  asked  Tom,  much  ex- 
cited. 

"I  mean  that  there's  a  town  called  Shagmon 
about  fifty  miles  from  here.  That's  what  the  fel- 
low in  the  office  meant.  He  is  going  to  the  town 
of  Shagmon  and  make  Morse  whack  up.  That's 
where  Morse  is!  That's  where. the  gang  is  hid- 
ing !  That's  where  the  money  is !  Hurrah,  Tom, 
we're  on  the  trail !" 


CHAPTER  XXII 

THE  SHERIFF  ON  BOARD 

THE  announcement  of  Mr.  Damon  came  as  a 
great  surprise  to  Tom  and  Mr.  Sharp.  They 
had  supposed  that  the  reference  to  Shagmon  was 
to  a  person,  and  never  dreamed  that  it  was  to  a 
locality.  But  Mr.  Damon's  knowledge  of  geog- 
raphy stood  them  in  good  stead. 

"Well,  what's  the  first  thing  to  do?"  asked 
Tom,  after  a  pause. 

'The  first  thing  would  be  to  go  to  Shagmon, 
or  close  to  it,  I  should  say,"  remarked  Mr.  Sharp. 
"In  what  direction  is  it,  Mr.  Damon?" 

"Northwest  from  where  we  were.  It's  a  county 
seat,  and  that  will  suit  our  plans  admirably,  for 
we  can  call  on  the  sheriff  for  help." 

"That  is  if  we  locate  the  gang,"  put  in  Tom. 
"I  fancy  it  will  be  no  easy  job,  though.  How  are 
we  going  about  it?" 

"Let's  first  get  to  Shagmon,"  suggested  the 
balloonist.  "We'll  select  some  quiet  spot  for  a 
191 


192          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

landing,  and  then  talk  matters  over.  We  may 
stumble  on  the  gang,  just  as  you  did,  'Tom,  on 
the  men  in  the  office." 

"No  such  good  luck,  I'm  afraid." 

"Well,  I  think  we'll  all  be  better  for  a  little 
sleep,"  declared  the  eccentric  man.  "Bless  my 
eyelids  but  I'm  tired  out." 

As  there  was  no  necessity  for  standing  watch, 
when  the  airship  was  so  high  up  as  to  be  almost 
invisible,  they  all  turned  in,  and  were  soon  sleep- 
ing soundly,  though  Tom  had  hard  work  at  first 
to  compose  himself,  for  he  was  excited  at  the 
prospect  of  capturing  the  scoundrels,  recovering 
the  money  for  the  bank,  and  clearing  his  good 
name,  as  well  as  those  of  his  friends. 

In  the  morning  careful  calculations  were  made 
to  enable  the  travelers  to  tell  when  they  had 
reached  a  point  directly  over  the  small  city  of 
Shagmon,  and,  with  the  skill  of  the  veteran  bal- 
loonist to  aid  them,  this  was  accomplished.  The 
airship  was  headed  in  the  proper  direction,  and, 
about  ten  o'clock,  having  made  out  by  using  tele- 
scopes, that  there  was  plenty  of  uninhabited 
land  about  the  city,  the  craft  was  sent  aloft  again, 
out  of  a  large  crowd  that  had  caught  sight  of  it. 
For  it  was  the  intention  of  the  travelers  not  to 
land  until  after  dark,  as  they  wanted  to  keep 
their  arrival  quiet.  There  were  two  reasons  for 


THE   SHERIFF   ON     BOARD  193 

this.  One  was  that  the  whole  country  was  eager 
to  arrest  them,  to  claim  the  reward  offered  by  the 
bank,  and  they  did  not  want  this  to  happen.  The 
other  reason  was  that  they  wanted  to  go  quietly 
into  town,  tell  the  sheriff  their  story,  and  enlist 
his  aid. 

All  that  day  the  Red  Cloud  consorted  with  the 
masses  of  fleecy  vapor,  several  miles  above  the 
earth,  a  position  being  maintained,  as  nearly  as 
could  be  judged  by  instruments,  over  a  patch  of 
woodland  where  Mr.  Sharp  had  decided  to  land, 
as  there  were  several  large  clearings  in  it.  Back 
and  forth  above  tHe  clouds,  out  of  sight,  the  air- 
ship drifted  lazily  to  and  fro;  sometimes,  when 
she  got  too  far  off  her  course,  being  brought  back 
to  the  right  spot  by  means  of  the  propellers. 

It  was  tedious  waiting,  but  they  felt  it  was  the 
only  thing  to  do.  Mr.  Sharp  and  Tom  busied 
themselves  making  adjustments  to  several  parts 
of  apparatus  that  needed  it.  Nothing  could  be 
done  toward  repairing  the  hole  in  the  aluminum 
container  until  a  shop  or  shed  was  reached,  but  the 
ship  really  did  not  need  these  repairs  to  enable 
it  to  be  used.  Mr.  Damon  was  fretful,  and 
"blessed"  so  many  things  during  the  course  of  the 
day  that  there  seemed  to  be  nothing  left.  Dinner 
and  supper  took  up  some  time,  really  good  meals 
being  served  by  Tom,  who  was  temporarily  act- 


194  TOM  SWIFT  AND   HIS  AIRSHIP 

ing  as  cook.     Then  they  anxiously  waited  for 
darkness,  when  they  could  descend. 

"I  hope  the  moon  isn't  too  bright,"  remarked 
Mr.  Sharp,  as  he  went  carefully  over  the  motor 
once  more,  for  he  did  not  want  it  to  balk  again. 
"If  it  shines  too  much  it  will  discover  us." 

"But  a  little  light  would  be  a  fine  thing,  and 
show  us  a  good  place  to  land,"  argued  Tom. 

Fortune  seemed  to  favor  the  adventurers.  There 
was  a  hazy  light  from  the  moon,  which  was 
covered  by  swiftly  moving  dark  clouds,  now  and 
then,  a  most  effective  screen  for  the  airship,  as  its 
great,  moving  shape,  viewed  from  the  earth,  re- 
sembled nothing  so  much  as  one  of  the  clouds. 

They  made  a  good  landing  in  a  little  forest 
glade,  the  craft,  under  the  skillful  guidance  of  Mr. 
Sharp  and  Tom,  coming  down  nicely. 

"Now  for  a  trip  to  town  to  notify  the  sheriff," 
said  Mr.  Sharp.  "Tom,  I  think  you  had  better 
go  alone.  You  can  explain  matters,  and  Mr. 
Damon  and  I  will  remain  here  until  you  come 
back.  I  should  say  what  you  had  best  do,  would 
be  to  get  the  sheriff  to  help  you  locate  the  gang 
of  bank  robbers.  They're  in  this  vicinity  and  he 
ought  to  be  able,  with  his  deputies,  to  find  them." 

"I'll  ask  him,"  replied  Tom,  as  he  set  off. 

It  was  rather  a  lonely  walk  into  the  city,  from 
the  woods  where  the  airship  had  landed,  but  Tom 


THE  SHERIFF  ON     BOARD  195 

did  not  mind  it,  and,  reaching  Shagmon,  he  iif- 
quired  his  way  to  the  home  of  the  sheriff,  for 
it  was  long  after  office  hours.  He  heard,  as  he 
walked  along  the  streets,  many  persons  discussing 
the  appearance  of  the  airship  that  morning,  and 
he  was  glad  they  had  planned  to  land  after  dark, 
for  more  than  one  citizen  was  regretting  that 
he  had  not  had  a  chance  to  get  the  five  thousand 
dollars  reward  offered  for  the  arrest  of  the  pas- 
sengers in  the  Red  Cloud. 

Tom  found  the  sheriff,  Mr.  Durkin  by  name, 
a  genial  personage.  At  the  mention  of  the  air- 
ship the  official  grew  somewhat  excited. 

"Are  you  one  of  the  fellows  that  looted  the 
bank?"  he  inquired,  when  Torn  told  him  how  he 
and  his  friends  had  arrived  at  Shagmon. 

The  young  inventor  denied  the  impeachment, 
and  told  his  story.  He  ended  up  with  a  request 
for  the  sheriff's  aid,  at  the  same  time  asking  if 
the  officer  knew  where  such  a  gang  as  the  Happy 
Harry  one  might  be  in  hiding. 

"You've  come  just  at  the  right  time,  young 
man,"  was  the  answer  of  Sheriff  Durkin,  wten 
he  was  assured  of  the  honesty  of  Tom's  state-, 
ments.  "I've  been  on  the  point,  for  the  last 
week,  of  raiding  a  camp  of  men,  who  have  settled 
at  a  disused  summer  resort  about  ten  miles  from 
here.  I  think  they're  running  a  gambling  game, 


196          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

but  I  haven't  been  <*ble  to  get  any  evidence,  and 
every  time  I  sent  out  a  posse  some  one  warns  the 
men,  and  we  can  find  nothing  wrong.  I  believe 
these  men  are  the  very  ones  you  want.  If  we 
could  only  get  to  them  without  their  suspecting 
'it,  I  think  I'd  have  them  right." 

"We  can  do  that,  Sheriff." 

"How?" 

"Go  in  our  airship!  You  come  with  us,  and 
we'll  put  you  right  over  their  camp,  where  you 
can  drop  down  on  their  heads." 

"Good  land,  I  never  rode  in  an  automobile 
even,  let  alone  an  airship!"  went  on  the  officer. 
"I'd  be  scared  out  of  my  wits,  and  so  would  my 
'deputies." 

"Send  the  'deputies  on  ahead,"  suggested  Tom. 

THe  sheriff  hesitated.  Then  he  slapped  his 
thigH  with  his  big  hand. 

"By  golly!  I'll  go  you!"  he  declared.  "I'll 
try  capturing  criminals  in  an  airship  for  the  first, 
time  in  my  life !  Lead  the  way,  young  man !" 

An  hour  later  Sheriff  Durkin  was  aboard  the 
Red  Cloud,  and  plans  were  being  talked  of  for 
the  capture  of  the  bank  robbers,  or  at  least  for 
raiding  the  camp  where  the  men  were  supposed  to 
be. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

ON  TO  THE  CAMP 

"WELL,  you  sure  have  got  a  fine  craft  here," 
remarked  Sheriff  Durkin,  as  he  looked  over  the 
airship  after  Tom  and  his  friends  had  told  of 
their  voyage.  "It  will  be  quite  up-to-date  to 
raid  a  gang  of  bank  robbers  in  a  flying  machine, 
but  I  guess  it  will  be  the  only  way  we  can  catch 
those  fellows.  Now  I'll  go  back  to  town,  and 
the  first  thing  in  the  morning  I'll  round-up  my 
posse  and  start  it  off.  The  men  can  surround 
the  camp,  and  lay  quiet  until  we  arrive  in  this 
ship.  Then,  when  we  descend  on  the  heads  of 
the  scoundrels,  right  out  of  the  sky,  so  to  speak, 
my  men  can  close  in,  and  bag  them  all." 

"That's  a  good  plan,"  commented  Mr.  Sharp, 
"but  are  you  sure  these  are  the  men  we  want? 
It's  pretty  vague,  I  think,  but  of  course  the  clue 
Tom  got  is  pretty  slim;  merely  the  name  Shag- 
mon." 

"Well,  this  is  Shagmon,"  went  on  the  sheriff, 
197 


198          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

"and,  as  I  told  your  young  friend,  I've  been 
trying  for  some  time  to  bag  the  men  at  the  sum- 
mer camp.  They  number  quite  a  few,  and  if 
they  don't  do  anything  worse,  they  run  a  gambling 
game  there.  I'm  pretty  sure,  if  the  bank  robbers' 
are  in  this  vicinity,  they're  in  that  camp.  Of 
course  all  the  men  there  may  not  have  been  en- 
gaged in  looting  the  vault,  and  they  may  not  all 
know  of  it,  but  it  won't  do  any  harm  to  round-up, 
the  whole  bunch." 

After  a  tour  of  the  craft,  and  waiting  to  take 
a  little  refreshment  with  his  new  friends,  the 
sheriff  left,  promising  to  come  as  early  on  the 
morrow  as  possible. 

"Let's  go  to  bed,"  suggested  Mr.  Sharp,  after 
a  bit.  "We've  got  hard  work  ahead  of  us  to* 
morrow/' 

They  were  up  early,  and,  in  the  seclusion  of  the 
little  glade  in  the  woods,  Tom  and  Mr.  Sharp 
went  over  every  part  of  the  airship. 

The  sheriff  arrived  about  nine  o'clock,  and  an- 
nounced that  he  had  started  off  through  the 
woods,  to  surround  the  camp,  twenty-five  men. 

"They'll  be  there  at  noon,"  Mr.  Durkin  said, 
"and  will  close  in  when  I  give  the  signal,  which 
will  be  two  shots  fired.  I  heard  just  before  I 
came  here  that  there  are  some  new  arrivals  at  the 
camp/' 


ON  TO   THE  CAMP  199 

"Maybe  those  are  the  men  I  overheard  talking 
in  the  office  building,"  suggested  Tom.  "They 
probably  came  to  get  their  share.  WeH,  we  must 
swoop  down  on  them  before  they  have  time  to 
distribute  the  money." 

"That's  what !"  agreed  the  county  official.  Mr. 
Durkin  was  even  more  impressed  by  the  airship 
in  the  daytime  than  he  had  been  at  night.  He 
examined  every  part,  and  when  the  time  came  to 
start,  he  was  almost  as  unconcerned  as  any  of  the 
three  travelers  who  had  covered  many  hundreds 
of  miles  in  the  air. 

"This  is  certainly  great!"  cried  the  sheriff,  as 
the  airship  rose  swiftly  under  the  influence  of  the 
powerful  gas. 

As  the  craft  went  higher  and  higher  his  en- 
thusiasm grew.  He  was  not  the  least  afraid, 
but  then  Sheriff  Durkin  was  accounted  a  nervy 
individual  under  all  circumstances. 

"Lay  her  a  little  off  to  the  left,"  the  officer 
advised  Tom  who  was  at  the  steering  wheel.  "The 
main  camp  is  right  over  there.  How  long  before 
,  we  will  reach  it  ?" 

"We  can  get  there  in  about  fifteen  minutes,  if 
we  run  at  top  speed,"  answered  the  lad,  his  hand 
on  the  switch  that  controlled  the  motor.  "Shall 
we?" 

"No  use  burning  up  the  air.    Besides,  my  men 


200          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

have  hardly  had  time  to  surround  the  camp.  It' a 
in  deep  woods.  If  I  were  you  I'd  get  right  over 
it,  and  then  rise  up  out  of  sight  so  they  can't  see 
you.  Then,  when  it's  noon  you  can  go  down,  I'll 
fire  the  signal  and  the  fun  will  commence — that 
is,  fun  for  us,  but  not  so  much  for  those  chaps,  I 
fancy,"  and  the  sheriff  smiled  grimly. 

The  sheriff's  plan  was  voted  a  good  one,  and, 
accordingly,  the  ship,  after  nearing  a  spot  about 
over  the  camp,  was  sent  a  mile  or  two  into  the 
air,  hovering  as  nearly  as  possible  over  one  spot 

Shortly  before  twelve,  the  sheriff  having  seen 
to  the  weapons  he  brought  with  him,  gave  the 
signal  to  descend.  Down  shot  the  Red  Cloud 
dropping  swiftly  when  the  gas  was  allowed  to  es- 
cape from  the  red  container,  and  also  urged  to- 
ward the  earth  by  the  deflected  rudder. 

"Are  you  all  ready?"  cried  the  sheriff,  looking 
at  his  watch. 

"All  ready,"  replied  Mr.  Sharp. 

"Then  here  goes,"  went  on  the  officer,  drawing 
his  revolver,  and  firing  two  shots  in  quick  suc- 
cession. 

Two  shots  from  the  woods  below  answered 
him.  Faster  dropped  the  Red  Cloud  toward  the 
camp  of  the  criminals. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

THE  RAID 

"LOOK  for  a  good  place  to  land!"  cried  Mr. 
Sharp  to  Tom.  "Any  small,  level  place  will  do. 
Turn  on  the  gas  full  power  as  soon  as  you  feel 
the  first  contact,  and  then  shut  it  off  so  as  to  hold 
her  down.  Then  jump  out  and  take  a  hand  in 
the  fight!" 

"That's  right,"  cried  the  sheriff.  "Fight's  the 
word!  They're  breaking  from  cover  now,"  he 
added,  as  he  looked  over  the  side  of  the  cabin, 
from  one  of  the  windows.  "The  rascals  have 
taken  the  alarm!" 

The  airship  was  descending  toward  a  little  glade 
in  the  woods  surrounding  the  old  picnic  ground. 
Men,  mostly  of  the  tramp  sort,  could  be  seen 
running  to  and  fro. 

"I  hope  my  deputies  close  in  promptly,"  mur- 
mured the  sheriff.  "There's  a  bigger  bunch  there 
than  I  counted  on." 

From  the  appearance  of  the  gang  rushing  about 
201 


202          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

it  seemed  as  if  there  were  at  least  fifty  of  them. 
Some  of  the  fellows  caught  sight  of  the  air- 
ship, and,  with  yells,  pointed  upward. 

Nearer  and  nearer  to  the  earth  settled  the  Red 
Cloud.  The  criminals  in  the  camp  were  running 
wildly  about.  Several  squads  of  them  darted 
through  the  woods,  only  to  come  hurriedly  back, 
where  they  called  to  their  companions. 

"Ha!  My  men  are  evidently  on  the  job!"  ex- 
claimed the  sheriff.  "They  are  turning  the  rascals 
back!" 

Some  of  the  gang  were  so  alarmed  at  the  sight 
of  the  great  airship  settling  down  on  their  camp, 
that  they  could  only  stand  and  stare  at  it.  Others 
were  gathering  sticks  and  stones,  as  if  for  resist- 
ance, and  some  could  be  seen  to  have  weapons. 
Off  to  one  side  was  a  small  hut,  rather  better 
than  the  rest  of  the  tumbledown  shacks  in  which 
the  tramps  lived.  Tom  noticed  this,  and  saw  sev- 
eral men  gathered  about  it.  One  seemed  familiar 
to  the  lad.  He  called  the  attention  of  Mr.  Damon 
to  the  fellow. 

"Do  you  know  him  ?"  asked  Tom  eagerly. 

"Bless  my  very  existence!  If  it  isn't  Anson 
Morse!  One  of  the  gang!"  cried  the  eccentric 
man. 

"That's  what  I  thought,"  agreed  Tom.  "The 
bank  robbers  are  here,"  he  added,  to  the  sheriff. 


THE  RAID  203 

"If  we  only  recover  the  money^  we'll  be  doing 
well/'  remarked  Mr.  Sharp. 

Suddenly  there  came  a  shout  from  the  fringe  of 
woods  surrounding  the  camp,  and  an  instant  later 
there  burst  from  the  bushes  a  number  of  men. 

"My  posse!"  cried  the  sheriff.  "We  ought  to 
be  down  now !" 

The  airship  was  a  hundred  feet  'above  the 
ground,  but  Tom,  opening  wider  the  gas  outlet, 
sent  the  craft  more  quickly  down.  Then,  just 
as  it  touched  the  earth,  he  forced  a  mass  of  vapor 
into  the  container,  making  the  ship  buoyant  so  as 
to  reduce  the  shock. 

An  instant  later  the  ship  was  stationary. 

Out  leaped  the  sheriff. 

"Give  it  to  'em,  men !"  he  shouted. 

With  a  yell  his  men  responded,  and  fired  a 
volley  in  the  air. 

"Come  on,  Tom!"  called  Mr.  Sharp.  "We'll 
make  for  the  hut  where  you  saw  Morse." 

"I'll  come  too !  I'll  come  too !"  cried  Mr.  Damon, 
rushing  along  as  fast  as  he  could,  a  seltzer  bottle 
in  either  hand. 

Tom's  chief  interest  was  to  reach  the  men  he 
suspected  were  the  bank  robbers.  The  lad  dashed 
through  the  woods  toward  the  hut  near  which 
he  had  seen  Morse.  He  and  Mr.  Sharp  reached 
it  about  the  same  time.  As  they  came  in  frort 


204          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

of  it  out  dashed  Happy  Harry,  the  tramp.  He 
was  followed  by  Morse  and  the  man  named 
Featherton.  The  latter  carried  a  black  valise. 

"Hey!    Drop  that!"  shouted  Mr.  Sharp. 

"Drop  nothing!"  yelled  the  man. 

"Go  on !  Go  on !"  urged  Morse.  'Take  to  the 
woods !  We'll  deal  with  these  fellows !" 

"Oh,  you  will,  eh?"  shouted  Tom,  and  remem^ 
bering  his  football  days  he  made  a  dive  between 
Morse  and  Happy  Harry  for  the  man  with  the 
bag,  which  he  guessed  contained  the  stolen 
money.  The  lad  made  a  good  tackle,  and  grabbed 
Featherton  about  the  legs.  He  went  down  in  a 
heap,  with  Tom  on  top.  Our  hero  was  feeling 
about  for  the  valise,  when  he  felt  a  stunning  blow 
on  the  back  of  his  head.  He  turned  over  quickly 
to  see  Morse  in  the  act  of  delivering  a  second 
kick.  Tom  grew  faint,  and  dimly  saw  the  leader 
of  the  gang  reach  down  for  the  valise. 

This  gave  our  hero  sudden  energy.  He  was 
not  going  to  lose  everything,  when  it  was  just 
within  his  grasp.  Conquering,  by  a  strong  ef- 
fort, his  feeling  of  dizziness,  he  scrambled  to  his 
feet,  and  made  a  grab  for  Morse.  The  latter 
fended  him  off,  but  Tom  came  savagely  back 
at  him,  all  his  fighting  blood  up.  The  effects  of 
the  cowardly  blow  were  passing  off. 


THE  RAID  205 

The  lad  managed  to  get  one  hand  on  the  handle 
of  the  bag. 

"Let  go!"  cried  Morse,  and  he  dealt  Tom  a 
blow  in  the  face.  It  staggered  the  youth,  but 
he  held  on  grimly,  and  raised  his  left  hand  and 
arm  as  a  guard.  At  the  same  time  he  endeavored 
to  twist  the  valise  loose  from  Morse's  hold.  The 
man  raised  his  foot  to  kick  Tom,  but  at  that 
moment  there  was  a  curious  hissing  sound,  and  a 
stream  of  frothy  liquid  shot  over  the  lad's  head 
right  into  the  face  of  the  man,  blinding  him. 

"Ha!  Take  that!  And  more  of  it!"  shouted 
Mr.  Damon,  and  a  second  stream  of  seltzer 
squirted  into  the  face  of  Morse. 

With  a  yell  of  rage  he  let  go  his  hold  of  the 
satchel,  and  Tom  staggered  back  with  it.  The 
lad  saw  Mr.  Damon  rushing  toward  the  now 
disabled  leader,  playing  both  bottles  of  seltzer  on 
him.  Then,  when  all  the  liquid  was  gone  the 
eccentric  man  began  to  beat  Morse  over  the  head 
and  shoulders  with  the  heavy  bottles  until  the 
scoundrel  begged  for  mercy. 

Tom  was  congratulating  himself  on  his  success 
in  getting  the  bag  when  Happy  Harry,  the  tramp, 
rushed  at  him. 

"I  guess  I'll  take  that !"  he  roared,  and,  wheel- 
ing Tom  around,  at  the  same  time  striking  him 


206          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

full  in  the  face,  the  ugly  man  made  a  grab  for 
the  valise. 

His  hand  had  hardly  touched  it  before  he  went 
down  like  a  log,  the  sound  of  a  powerful  blow 
causing  Tom  to  look  up.  He  saw  Mr.  Sharp 
standing  over  the  prostrate  tramp,  who  had  been 
cleanly  knocked  out. 

"Are  you  all  right,  Tom?"  asked  the  balloonist. 

"Yes— trifle  dizzy,  that's  all— I've  got  the 
money !" 

"Are  you  sure?" 

Tom  opened  the  valise.  A  glance  was  enough 
to  show  that  it  was  stuffed  with  bills. 

Happy  Harry  showed  signs  of  coming  to,  and 
Mr.  Sharp,  with  a  few  turns  of  a  rope  he  had 
brought  along,  soon  secured  him.  Morse  was  too 
exhausted  to  fight  more,  for  the  seltzer  entering 
his  mouth  and  nose,  had  deprived  him  of  breath, 
and  he  fell  an  easy  prisoner  to  Mr.  Damon. 

Morse  was  soon  tied  up.  The  other  members 
of  the  Happy  Harry  gang  had  escaped. 

Meanwhile  the  sheriff  and  his  men  were  having 
a  fight  with  the  crowd  of  tramps,  but  as  the  posse 
was  determined  and  the  criminals  mostly  of  the 
class  known  as  "hobos/'  the  battle  was  not  a  very 
severe  one.  Several  of  the  sheriff's  men  were 
slightly  injured,  however,  and  a  few  of  the  tramps 
escaped. 


THE  RAID  207 

"A  most  successful  raid,"  commented  tfie  sheriff, 
when  quiet  was  restored,  and  a  number  of  prison- 
ers were  lined  up,  all  tied  securely.  "Did  you  get 
the  money?" 

"Almost  all  of  it,"  answered  Tom,  who,  now 
that  Morse  and  Happy  Harry  were  securely  tied, 
had  busied  himself,  with  the  aid  of  Mr.  Sharp 
and  Mr.  Damon,  in  counting  the  bills.  "Only 
about  two  thousand  dollars  are  missing.  I  think 
the  bank  will  be  glad  enough  to  charge  that  to 
profit  and  loss." 

"I  guess  so,"  added  the  sheriff.  "I'm  certainly 
much  obliged  to  you  for  the  use  of  your  airship. 
Otherwise  the  raid  wouldn't  have  been  so  success- 
ful. Well,  now  we'll  get  the  prisoners  to  jail." 

It  was  necessary  to  hire  rigs  from  nearby 
farmers  to  accomplish  this.  As  for  Morse  and 
Happy  Harry,  they  were  placed  in  the  airship, 
and,  under  guard  of  the  sheriff  and  two  deputies, 
were  taken  to  the  county  seat.  The  criminals 
were  too  dazed  over  the  rough  treatment  they  had 
received,  and  over  their  sudden  capture,  to  notice 
the  fact  of  riding  through  the  air  to  jail. 

"Now  for  home!"  cried  Tom,  when  the  prison- 
ers had  been  disposed  of.  "Home  to  clear  our 
names  and  take  this  money  to  the  bank !" 

"And  receive  the  reward,"  added  Mr.  Sharp, 
with  a  smile.  "Don't  forget  that!" 


2o8  TOM   SWIFT  AND   HIS  AIRSHIP 

"Oh,  yes,  and  I'll  see  that  you  get  a  share  too, 
Mr.  Durkin,"  went  on  Tom.  "Only  for  your  aid 
we  never  would  have  gotten  these  men  and  the 
money." 

"Oh,  I  guess  we're  about  even  on  that  score," 
responded  the  official.  "I'm  glad  to  break  up 
that  gang." 

The  next  morning  Tom  and  his  friends  started 
for  home  in  the  Red  Cloud. 

They  took  with  them  evidence  as  to  the  guilt 
of  the  two  men — Morse  and  Happy  Harry.  The 
men  confessed  that  they  and  their  pals  had  robbed 
the  bank  of  Shopton,  the  night  before  Tom  and 
his  friends  sailed  on  their  trip.  In  fact  that 
was  the  object  for  which  the  gang  hung  around 
Shopton.  After  securing  their  booty  they  had 
gone  to  the  camp  of  the  tramps  at  Shagmon, 
where  they  hid,  hoping  they  would  not  be  traced. 
But  the  words  Tom  had  overheard  had  been  their 
undoing.  The  men  who  arrived  at  the  camp  just 
before  the  raid  were  the  same  ones  the  young  in- 
ventor heard  talking  in  the  office  building.  They 
had  come  to  get  their  share  of  the  loot,  which 
Morse  held,  and  with  which  he  tried  so  desper- 
ately to  get  away.  Tom's  injuries  were  not  se- 
rious and  did  not  bother  him  after  being  treated 
by  a  physician. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

ANDY  GETS  HIS  REWARD 

FLYING  swiftly  through  the  air  the  young  in- 
ventor and  his  two  companions  were  soon  within 
sight  of  Shopton.  As  they  approached  the  town 
from  over  the  lake,  and  a  patch  of  woods,  they 
attracted  no  attention  until  they  were  near  home, 
and  the  craft  settled  down  easily  in  the  yard  of 
the  Swift  property. 

That  the  aged  inventor  was  glad  to  see  his  s#ft 
back  need  not  be  said,  and  Mrs.  Baggert's  wel- 
come was  scarcely  less  warm  than  that  of  Mr. 
Swift.  Mr.  Sharp  and  Mr.  Damon  were  also 
made  to  feel  that  their  friends  were  glad  to  see 
them  safe  again. 

"We  must  go  at  once  and  see  Mr.  Pendergast, 
the  bank  president,"  declared  Mr.  Swift.  "We 
must  take  the  money  to  him,  and  demand  that 
he  withdraw  the  offer  of  reward  for  your  arrest." 

"Yes,"  agreed  Tom.  "I  guess  the  reward  will 
go  to  some  one  besides  Andy  Foger." 

209 


210          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

There  was  considerable  surprise  on  the  part  of 
the  bank  clerks  when  our  hero,  and  his  friends, 
walked  in,  carrying  a  heavy  black  bag.  But  they 
could  only  conjecture  what  was  in  the  wind,  for 
the  party  was  immediately  closeted  with  the 
president. 

Mr.  Pendergast  was  so  startled  that  he  hardly 
knew  what  to  say  when  Tom,  aided  by  Mr.  Sharp, 
told  his  story.  But  the  return  of  the  money, 
with  documents  from  Sheriff  Durkin,  certifying 
as  to  the  arrest  of  Morse  and  Happy  Harry,  soon 
convinced  him  of  the  truth  of  the  account. 

"It's  the  most  wonderful  thing  I  ever  heard," 
said  the  president. 

"Well,  what  are  you  going  to  do  about  it?"* 
asked  Mr.  Damon.  "You  have  accused  Tom  and 
myself  of  being  thieves,  and " 

"I  apologize — I  apologize  most  humbly!"  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Pendergast.  "I  also " 

"What  about  the  reward  ?"  went  on  Mr.  Damon. 
"Bless  my  bank  notes,  I  don't  want  any  of  it,  for 
I  have  enough,  but  I  think  Tom  and  Mr.  Sharp 
and  the  sheriff  are  entitled  to  it." 

"Certainly,"  said  the  president,  "certainly.  It 
will  be  paid  at  once.  I  will  call  a  meeting  of  the 
directors.  In  fact  they  are  all  in  the  bank  now, 
save  Mr.  Foger,  and  I  can  reach  him  by  telephone. 
If  you  will  just  rest  yourselves  in  that  room  there 


ANDY  GETS  HIS  REWARD  211 

I  will  summon  you  before  the  board,  when  it 
convenes,  and  be  most  happy  to  pay  over  the  five 
thousand  dollars  reward.  It  is  the  most  wonder- 
ful thing  I  ever  heard  of — most  wonderful!" 

In  a  room  adjoining  that  of  the  president,  Tom, 
his  father  and  Mr.  Damon  waited  for  the  di- 
rectors to  meet.  Mr.  Foger  could  be  heard  en- 
tering a  little  later. 

"What's  this  I  hear,  Pendergast  ?"  he  cried, 
rubbing  his  hands.  "The  bank  robbers  captured, 
eh?  Well,  that's  good  news.  Of  course  we'll 
pay  the  reward.  I  always  knew  my  boy  was  a 
smart  lad.  Five  thousand  dollars  will  be  a  tidy 
sum  for  him.  Of  course  his  chum,  Sam  Snedecker 
is  entitled  to  some,  but  not  much.  So  they've 
caught  Tom  Swift  and  that  rascally  Damon,  eh? 
I  always  knew  he  was  a  scoundrel!  Putting 
money  in  here  as  a  blind !" 

Mr.  Damon  heard,  and  shook  his  fist. 

"I'll  make  him  suffer  for  that,"  he  whispered. 

"Tom  Swift  arrested,  eh?"  went  on  Mr.  Foger. 
"I  always  knew  he  was  a  bad  egg.  Who  caught 
them?  Where  are  they?" 

"In  the  next  room,"  replied  Mr.  Pendergast, 
who  loved  a  joke  almost  as  well  as  did  Tom. 
"They  may  come  out  now,"  added  the  president, 
opening  the  door,  and  sending  Ned  Newton  in 


212          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

to  summon  Tom,  Mr.  Swift  and  Mr.  Damon, 
who  filed  out  before  the  board  of  directors. 

"Gentlemen,"  began  the  president,  "I  have  the 
pleasure  of  presenting  to  you  Mr.  Thomas  Swift, 
Mr.  Barton  Swift  and  Mr.  Wakefield  Damon.  I 
also  have  the  honor  to  announce  that  Mr.  Thomas 
Swift  and  Mr.  Damon  have  been  instrumental  in 
capturing  the  burglars  who  recently  robbed  our 
bank,  and  I  am  happy  to  add  that  young  Mr. 
Swift  and  Mr.  Wakefield  Damon  have,  this  morn- 
ing, brought  to  me  all  but  a  small  part  of  the 
money  stolen  from  us.  Which  money  they  suc- 
ceeded, after  a  desperate  fight- — " 

"A  fight  partly  with  seltzer  bottles/'  inter- 
rupted Mr.  Damon  proudly.  "Don't  forget  them." 

"Partly  with  seltzer  bottles,"  conceded  the 
president  with  a  smile.  "After  a  fight  they  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  the  money  back.  Here  it  is,  and 
I  now  suggest  that  we  pay  the  reward  we 
promised." 

"What?  Reward?  Pay  them?  The  money 
back?  Isn't  my  son  to  receive  the  five  thousand 
'dollars  for  informing  as  to  the  identity  of  the 
1  thief — isn't  he?"  demanded  Mr.  Foger,  almost 
suffocating  from  his  astonishment  at  the  unex- 
pected announcement. 

"Hardly,"  answered  Mr.  Pendergast  dryly. 
"Your  son's  information  happened  to  be  very 


'AN0Y  GETS  HIS  REWARD.  213 

wrong.  The  tools  he  saw  Tom  have  in  the  bag 
were  airship  tools,  not  burglar's.  And  the  same 
gang  that  once  robbed  Mr.  Swift  robbed  our 
^bank.  Tom  Swift  captured  them,  and  is  entitled 
to  the  reward.  It  will  be  necessary  for  us  di- 
'  rectors  to  make  up  the  sum,  personally,  and  I, 
for  one,  am  very  glad  to  do  so." 

"So  am  I,"  came  in  a  chorus  from  the  others 
seated  at  the  table. 

"But — er — I  understood  that  my  son — "  stam- 
mered Mr.  Foger,  who  did  not  at  all  relish  hav- 
ing to  see  his  son  lose  the  reward. 

"It  was  all  a  mistake  about  your  son,"  com- 
mented Mr.  Pendergast.  "Gentlemen,  is  it  your 
desire  that  I  write  out  a*  check  for  young  Mr. 
Swift?" 

They  all  voted  in  the  affirmative,  even  Mr. 
Foger  being  obliged  to  do  so,  much  against  his 
wishes.  He  was  a  very  much  chagrined  man, 
when  the  directors'  meeting  broke  up.  Word  was 
sent  at  once,  by  telegraph,  to  all  the  cities  where 
reward  posters  had  been  displayed,  recalling  the 
offer,  and  stating  that  Tom  Swift  and  Mr. 
Damon  were  cleared.  Mr.  Sharp  had  never  been 
really  accused. 

"Well,  let's  go  home,"  suggested  Tom  when  he 
had  the  five-thousand-dollar  check  in  his  pocket. 


214          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

"I  want  another  ride  in  the  Red  Cloud  as  soon  as 
it's  repaired." 

"So  do  I !"  declared  Mr.  Damon. 

The  eccentric  man  and  Mr.  Swift  walked  on 
ahead,  and  Tom  strolled  down  toward  the  dock, 
for  he  thought  he  would  take  a  short  trip  in  his 
motor-boat. 

He  was  near  the  lake,  not  having  met  man^ 
persons,  when  he  saw  a  figure  running  up  from 
the  water.  He  knew  who  it  was  in  an  instant — • 
Andy  Foger.  As  for  the  bully,  at  the  sight  oi 
Tom  he  hesitated,  than  came  boldly  on.  Evidently 
he  had  not  heard  of  our  hero's  arrival. 

"Ha !"  exclaimed  the  red-haired  lad,  "I've  been 
looking  for  you.  The  police  want  you,  Tom 
Swift." 

"Oh,  do  they?"  asked  the  young  inventor 
gently. 

"Yes;  for  robbery.  I'm  going  to  get  the  re- 
ward, too.  You  thought  you  were  smart,  but  I 
saw  those  burglar  tools  in  your  valise.  I  sent  the 
police  after  you.  So  you've  come  back,  eh  ?  I'm 
going  to  tell  Chief  Simonson.  You  wait." 

"Yes,"  answered  Tom,  "I'll  wait.  So  the  police 
want  me,  do  they?" 

"That's  what  they  do,"  snarled  Andy.  "I  told 
you  I'd  get  even  with  you,  and  I've  done  it." 

"Well,"  burst  out  Tom,  unable  to  longer  contain 


ANDY   GETS   HIS   REWARD  215 

himself,  as  he  thought  of  all  he  had  suffered  at 
the  hands  of  the  red-haired  bully,  "I  said  I'd  get 
even  with  yon,  but  I  haven't  done  it  yet.  I'ni 
going  to  now.  Take  off  your  coat,  Andy.  You 
and  I  are  going  to  have  a  little  argument." 

"Don't  you  dare  lay  a  finger  on  me !"  blustered 
the  squint-eyed  one. 

Tom  peeled  off  his  coat.  Andy,  who  saw  that 
he  could  not  escape,  rushed  forward,  and  dealt 
the  young  inventor  a  blow  on  the  chest.  That  was 
all  Tom  wanted,  and  the  next  instant  he  went  at 
Andy  hammer  and  tongs.  The  bully  tried  to  fight, 
but  he  had  no  chance  with  his  antagonist,  who 
was  righteously  angry,  and  who  made  every  blow 
tell.  It  was  a  sorry-looking  Andy  Foger  who 
begged  for  mercy  a  little  later. 

Tom  had  no  desire  to  administer  more  than  a 
deserved  reward  to  the  bully,  but  perhaps  he  did 
add  a  little  for  interest.  At  any  rate  Andy  thought 
so. 

"You  just  wait!"  he  cried,  as  he  limped  off. 
"I'll  make  you  sorry  for  this." 

"Oh,  don't  go  to  any  trouble  on  my  account," 
said  Tom  gently,  as  he  put  on  his  coat.  But  Andy 
idid  go  to  considerable  trouble  to  be  revenged  on 
the  young  inventor,  and  whether  he  succeeded  or 
not  you  may  learn  by  reading  the  fourth  book  of 
this  series,  to  be  called  "Tom  Swift  and  His 


2l6          TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

Submarine  Boat ;  or,  Under  the  Ocean  for  Sunken 
Treasure,"  in  which  I  shall  relate  the  particu- 
lars of  a  voyage  that  was  marvelous  in  the 
extreme. 

Tom  reached  home  in  a  very  pleasant  frame  of 
mind  that  afternoon.  Things  had  turned  out 
much  better  than  he  thought  they  would.  A  few 
weeks  later  the  two  bank  Tobbers,  ^vhoi  were 
found  guilty,  were  sentenced  to  long  terms,  but 
their  companions  were  not  captured.  Tom  sent 
Sheriff  Durkin  a  share  of  the  reward,  and  the 
lad  invested  his  own  share  in  bank  stock,  after 
giving  some  to  Mr.  Sharp.  Mr.  Damon  refusecj 
to  accept  any.  As  for  Mr.  Swift,  once  he  saw 
matters  straightened  out,  and  his  son  safe,  he  re- 
sumed his  work  on  his  prize  submarine  boat,  his 
son  helping  him. 

As  for  Tom,  he  alternated  his  spare  time  be- 
tween trips  in  the  airship  and  his  motor-boat,  and 
frequently  a  certain  young  lady  from  the  Rocks- 
mond  Seminary  was  his  companion.  I  fhink  you 
know  her  name  by  this  time.  Now,  for  a  while, 
we  will  take  leave  of  Tom  Swift  and  his  friends, 
trusting  to  meet  them  again. 

THE  END 


Tfus  Isn't  AIL' 


Would  you  like  to  know  what 
became  of  the  good  friends  you 
have  made  in  this  book? 

Would  you  like  to  read  other 
stories  continuing  their  adventures 
and  experiences,  or  other  books 
quite  as  entertaining  by  the  same 
author? 

On  the  reverse  side  of  the  wrap- 
per which  comes  with  this  book, 
you  will  find  a  wonderful  list  of 
stories  which  you  can  buy  at  the 
same  store  where  you  got  this  book. 

Don't  throw  away  the  Wrapper 

Use  it  as  a  handy  catalog  of  the  books 
you  want  some  day  to  have.  ^But  in 
case  you  do  mislay  it,  write  to  the 
^Publishers  for  a  complete  catalog. 


THE  TOM  SWIFT  SERIES 

By  VICTOR  APPLETON 

Uniform   Style   of    Binding.      Individual    Colored   Wrappers. 
Every  Volume  Complete  in  Itself. 

Every  boy  possesses  some  form  of  inventive  genius. 
Tom  Swift  is  a  bright,  ingenious  boy  and  his  inventions 
and  adventures  make  the  most  interesting  kind  of  reading. 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR  CYCLE 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR  BOAT 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  SUBMARINE  BOAT 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RUNABOUT 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

TOM  SWIFT  IN  THE  CAVES  OF  ICE 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  SKY  RACER 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

TOM  SWIFT  IN  THE  CITY  OF  GOLD 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIR  GLIDER 

TOM  SWIFT  IN  CAPTIVITY 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIZARD  CAMERA 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  GREAT  SEARCHLIGHT 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  GIANT  CANNON 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  PHOTO  TELEPHONE 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  BIG  TUNNEL 

TOM  SWIFT  IN  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WAR  TANK 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIR  SCOUT 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  UNDERSEA  SEARCH 

TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  FIRE  FIGHTERS 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  LOCOMOTIVE 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  FLYING  BOAT 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  GREAT  OIL  GUSHER 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  CHEST  OF  SECRETS 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRLINE  EXPRESS 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,          PUBLISHERS,          NEW  YORK 


THE    DON    STURDY    SERIES 

By  VICTOR  APPLETON 

Individual  Colored  Wrappers  and  Text  Illustrations  by 

WALTER  S.  ROGERS 
Every  Volume  Complete  in  Itself 

In  company  with  his  uncles,  one  a  mighty  hunter  and 
the  other  a  noted  scientist,  Don  Sturdy  travels  far  and  wide, 
gaining  much  useful  knowledge  and  meeting  many  thrill- 
ing adventures. 

DON  STURDY  ON  THE  DESERT  OF  MYS- 
Or,  Autoing  in  the  Land  of  the  Caravans.  TERY; 

An  engrossing  tale  of  the  Sahara  Desert,  of  encounters 
with  wild  animals  and  crafty  Arabs. 

DON  STURDY  WITH  THE  BIG  SNAKE 
Or,  Lost  in  the  Jungles  of  the  Amazon.  HUNTERS; 
Don's  uncle,  the  hunter,  took  an  order  for  some  of  the 
biggest  snakes  to  be  found  in  South  America — to  be  deliv- 
ered alive !  The  filling  of  that  order  brought  keen  excite- 
ment to  the  boy. 

DON  STURDY  IN  THE  TOMBS  OF  GOLD; 
Or,  The  Old  Egyptian's  Great  Secret. 

A  fascinating  tale  of  exploration  and  adventure  in  the 
Valley  of  Kings  in  Egypt.  Once  the  whole  party  became 
lost  in  the  maze  of  cavelike  tombs  far  underground. 

DON  STURDY  ACROSS  THE  NORTH  POLE; 
Or,  Cast  Away  in  the  Land  of  Ice. 

Don  and  his  uncles  joined  an  expedition  bound  by  air 
across  the  north  pole.  A  great  polar  blizzard  nearly  wrecks 
the  airship. 

DON  STURDY  IN  THE  LAND  OF  VOLCANOES; 
Or,  The  Trail  of  the  Ten  Thousand  Smokes. 

An  absorbing  tale  of  adventures  among  the  volcanoes  of 
Alaska  in  a  territory  but  recently  explored.  A  story  that 
will  make  Don  dearer  to  his  readers  than  ever. 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS,         NEW  YORK 

i  g/ 


THE  RADIO  BOYS  SERIES 

(Trademark  Registered) 

By  ALLEN  CHAPMAN 
Author  of  the  "Railroad  Series,"  Etc. 

Individual  Colored  Wrappers.     Illustrated. 
Every  Volume  Complete  in  Itself. 

A  new  series  for  boys  giving  full  details  of  radio  work, 
both  in  sending  and  receiving — telling  how  small  and 
large  amateur  sets  can  be  made  and  operated,  and  how 
some  boys  got  a  lot  of  fun  and  adventure  out  of  what  they 
•did.  Each  volume  from  first  to  last  is  so  thoroughly  fas- 
cinating, so  strictly  up-to-date  and  accurate,  we  feel  sure 
all  lads  will  peruse  them  with  great  delfght. 

Each  volume  has  a  Foreword  by  Jack  Binns,  the  well- 
known  radio  expert. 

THE  RADIO  BOYS'  FIRST  WIRELESS 
.THE  RADIO  BOYS  AT  OCEAN  POINT 
[THE  RADIO  BOYS  AT  THE  SENDING 

STATION 

THE  RADIO  BOYS  AT  MOUNTAIN  PASS 
THE  RADIO  BOYS  TRAILING  A  VOICE 
THE  RADIO  BOYS  WITH  THE  FOREST 

RANGERS 
THE  RADIO  BOYS  WITH  THE  ICEBERG 

PATROL 
THE  RADIO  BOYS  WITH  THE  FLOOD 

FIGHTERS 

THE  RADIO  BOYS  ON  SIGNAL  ISLAND 
THE  RADIO  BOYS  IN  GOLD  VALLEY 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,    PtMhhtrs,    NEW  YORK 


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